Caomhnóir
by SilverMononoke
Summary: The Ring Battles have been won and now its straight into the next Arc! Ashlynn is now the official Guardian but finds herself not where she expected to be when hit with the Ten Year Bazooka shot by Irie. Time for a little deviation from the known story
1. Chapter 1

I would like to take the space here to thank everyone for their patience. Thank you. I know it's been a long while but now Caomhnóir is back online and running! { Yes! Finally! You sure took your sweet time Silver!} Some things have been changed and others written better, some things have been added in and some parts that have stayed the same~

I'd like to thank and give props for my lovely BetaReader, bookimp, who has done a wonderful job of looking over the chapters and also being patient with me. Thank you dear~

This Author adores constructive criticism and I personally invite you to kick my writing's ass. But please, dear reader, keep in mind that swearing in caps and/or giving one liners of how much I suck will not be appreciated and will ultimately be ignored. I expect you to explain why you think something is wrong and how you as a writer would fix it. It may or may not be edited based on your side of the argument. Please and Thank you.

**Disclaimer:** I do not in anyway own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I'm glad that we could clear that issue. There will most definitely be other things that I do not own but will make some kind of reference to, have no fear, they will be accounted for and credit will be given where it is due.

I believe that is all for announcements. If I think of any more they will be posted on my profile page.

~Enjoy~

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><p><strong>"We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it. "<strong>

**-Lauryn Hill**

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><p>"Welcome and good evening, this is StormCenter17 with top breaking news, I'm your anchor Connor Harris. This Monday afternoon, Officer Robbie Stewarts and his partner Jacob Snyder of the Virden Sheriff's department stopped a car just for an expired plate. Officer Stewart barely had time to even undo his seat belt before the driver in front of them emerged from his vehicle with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire. Stewarts and his partner returned fire from their windows managing to hit the driver once in the leg, arm and shoulder, but the man got back into his car and fled from the scene. Thankfully neither of the officers were injured from the unexpected spray of bullets and quickly called for backup as they gave chase. The driver was confirmed to be Thomas Bell; a prime suspect in an ongoing drug investigation in Chicago. But that's not all: Bell has warrants for arrest in not only the Chicago areas but also in Springfield, Peoria, Davenport, and Quincy.<p>

Bell lead police forces on a terrifying high-speed chase off the main road and through residential areas of Virden, Illinois, charging through yards and alleyways. This was the police forces' worst nightmare come to life; not only is Bell dangerous because of his possession of weapons and alleged criminal activities, he is also putting many civilians and officers lives in grave danger as he recklessly attempts to throw off his pursuers.

When it seemed that it couldn't possibly get any worse, Bell smashed through a wooden fence around a house on a corner and mowed down a pedestrian walking on the other side before continuing racing down to the end of the street and making a sharp turn in the direction of Highway I-55! One of the officer's pulled over and calls for an ambulance and for backup to lay down spike strips and a barricade on the ramp leading onto the freeway.

Bell unknowingly ran over the spikes but made it past the barricade by squeezing through a patch of grass on the side and entered the highway then turns around and drove in the wrong direction putting the oncoming traffic in risk of crashing! Luckily because of the spike strips that Bell had plowed through earlier, two of the tires blew from the strain and Bell slowly ground to a stop by the median and officers rushed to arrest the man. Thomas Bell was taken into police custody and will be facing trial for illegal possession of arms, attempted capital murder, first degree murder along with many traffic violations added to the list. This is along with the warrants on his head for the trafficking of drugs.

The residents and the local high school of Virden are in mourning for sixteen-year old freshman and track member of Virden high school..."

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><p>Ashlynn Meagher couldn't help but distinctly feel a sense of impending doom as she woke up Monday morning and she was convinced that someone or something had it out for her that day and the worst still had yet to happen. She was even more certain that she was not going to remotely enjoy the initial experience and seriously had her doubts that in the future look back on this day and laugh at her ridiculous misfortune.<p>

She woke up with the sun shining through her window onto her face with her alarm clock blinking 12:00. Apparently there had been some sort of a minor power outage sometime in the middle of the night. She was more than an hour and a half late for school and it had been a day that she had needed to be at school on time. After scrambling to dress herself and hopping out of her room with her messenger bag while she pulled her jeans over her legs and socks over her feet. Once satisfied that she was decent to go out in public Ashlynn bolted out of the house to the garage with no breakfast and her hair a complete mess. She cursed when she found that the front tire of her bike had somehow become flat over the last two days. Since there was just no time to fix or replace it she tightened the straps of her bag and sprinted down the streets to her high school with her bag hitting sharply against her waist.

As she finished the two mile trek to her school and was catching her breath as she waited for the lady in charge of attendance to give her a pass she realized that since she was going to be late anyway she should have taken the time to fix her bike. Ashlynn questioned herself if it had been really worth it to rush over. She could have easily just stayed home and ask the two teachers classes she missed if she could take her exam after school or even during lunch break. She certainly wasn't the first nor last student to come in late and miss a test. Surely they would allow her to take it at another time.

The morning classes that day went from bad to worse; She wasn't at all prepared for any of her classes of the day save for the exam she had to take during her third hour. For the rest of her classes she didn't have any of her homework with her and the things that she did have were stuck in her locker that had decided to jam itself. Lunch was no better, she barely had enough money with her and a student had bumped into her spilling spaghetti all over her shirt and hadn't even apologized or helped her up from the ground when he had knocked her off balance so she was left picking herself up and sitting in the courtyard alone since her so called friends had noticed her increasing bad luck (It never occurred to any of them to ask what was going wrong.) and all had made excuses not to hang out with her; from appointments with their counselor, working in the library, and or lunch detention. Many groups of people had pointed and laugh at her misfortune as they walked past her. Ashlynn sighed as she used a napkin to clean off what she could of her shirt before deeming it a lost cause and turning to the direction of her gym locker for a cleaner shirt to wear.

Her afternoon classes were not any better than the morning ones. For each class she had been called to stay after a few minutes for a quick lecture on how very disappointing it was that she was so very unprepared for school that day. This was very surprising for her; since she wasn't the very best in all of her academics (she was passing on mid B average which was fine with her along with her school counselor and her parents, though the latter two would have been more happy with an A average). Even more surprising was that this wasn't the first time that she had been late for school and forgot a few assignments in her rush but for some reason today all of her teachers were calling her out on it! It wasn't fair at all! There were other students that were never ready every single day of the school year and they chew her out on the few days of the year that it happens to her!

Ashlynn couldn't help herself and tuned out her teacher's voice. She was so tired and on her way to an emotional breakdown. Luckily she was just able to mange to nod in the right places to give off the image that she really was paying attention as this teacher in particular was comparing her to her older brother Flaithri who had already graduated from high school two years prior to her Freshmen orientation to the high school. The man sent her off with a scribbled note to her next class where the events would be repeated again.

'Please, please let this be the end of all this crap! It's already bad enough it's a Monday! Please don't let anything else go wrong today!' Ashlynn silently begged as she made her way back to the gym for her last class of the day.

Unfortunately for her (and no doubt to the amusement of whatever had it out for her) her small prayer was not going to be answered favorably. She was stopped right when she exited the building towards the fields by a small group of upperclassmen girls that had to take P.E. because they didn't think to get the credit earlier. They crowded around her, trapping her when she tried to move pass them. They called her names, nitpicked at her appearance and one even accused Ashlynn of trying to seduce her boyfriend!

This was ridiculous! She didn't even know these girls! Hell she didn't even know their names! Only that they had to take P.E. now otherwise they wouldn't be able to graduate this year.

She told the leader of the group this and was rewarded with the older girl jumping at her to pull on her hair with the three other girls crowding and pushed her back towards their leader when Ashlynn came too close to escape. It wasn't until Ashlynn had been pushed down into a muddy puddle did their teacher finally notice what was going on. Ashlynn hadn't even tried to fight back against them but to protect herself when the girls punched, kicked and scratched at her. She was the one with the most injuries out of the group and mud all over clothes and she had somehow ended with the blame of the fight. Ashlynn tried to explain her side of the story to both the teacher and the principal that she didn't even know these girls besides their names and they were the ones to crowd her with odds four to one! She had tried to defend herself and hadn't fought back against them so how the Hell was this her fault!

The reason it was her to take all of the blame? The bitch squad had another upperclassmen girl say that she had seen Ashlynn instigate the fight and with teamwork the three opposing girls protected each other from the strong freshman's assault on them. Ashlynn couldn't help but gape at the blatant bullshit unfolding in front of her. And that bullshit had put her in I.S.S (In School Suspension), taken off the track team for an indefinite amount of time, and after school detention for the rest of the week! And her parents were to be called for a conference to discuss her 'delinquent' behavior. All because the teacher and principal had listened to her attackers because they were all cheerleaders and had large breasts.

By the time school finally ended at 3:10 and while all of the other students were released to go home or stay to attend their respective clubs; Ashlynn was stuck serving detention in one of the classrooms on the second floor scraping off gum and the occasion booger off of the bottom and the sides of every single desk. And she would do this for another classroom before she was released at four o'clock. The bus whose route drove relatively close to where she lived had already left a long time ago and all of her friends that had cars were missing as well. Ashlynn sighed wearily as she walked away from the school's campus in a sour mood and she still had a bad feeling in her gut as she listened to the music on her Ipod.

'Come on Ashlynn, you're almost home and then you can get something chocolatey to snack on, a nice shower and maybe a little nap before Mom and Dad come home from work...They'll believe your story...' Ashlynn grimaced. Here she was trying to give herself a pep talk. But a nap sounded heavenly at the moment. She swiped her finger across the play-lists and settled on the Muse albums and played 'Feeling Good' first. Surely that would make her feel somewhat better and hopefully get her back home on a lighter note than the stressful rush when she left it.

Ashlynn began to silently mouth along with the lyrics. 'Birds flying high you know how I feel, Sun in the sky you know how I feel, Reeds drifting on by you know how I feel...It's a new dawn, it's a new day, It's a new life for me...And I'm feeling good...'

She never heard the sirens coming her way...

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><p>Pain.<p>

Pain. That was really all Ashlynn was able to fully comprehend in her current state of mind. Her body was hurting all over and she desperately wanted it to end and to leave her to be in peace already.

Her head felt like screws were being drilled into her skull, her ears were ringing and she could vaguely feel something wet above her upper lip. The inside of her chest felt like it wanted switch places with the skin on the outside of her body where it had no reason to be. Her cold feet were asleep with a stinging heavy sensation that was beginning to creep up her legs that caused her to jerk harshly every time she even twitched.

She wanted to curl into herself to ease some of the throbbing in her limbs but even trying to move her limbs into the desired position was causing her more pain than her previous position. Why? Why hadn't she be given a reprieve yet? She didn't even know where she was or how she came into the position was in now. And whenever she tried to move her head she was still met with a bright light even with her eyes clenched shut; she could still see it shining on her face.

It was hot.

Her legs were freezing.

Her shoulders were shaking.

Her breath was becoming more labored.

Then finally a sharp stinging on her hand and something held over her face as hands moved her arms and her tingling legs before the bright lights finally darkened and she blacked out from another round of intense pain.

When she returned back to consciousness it was unfortunately back to the bright lights and a strange underlying sense of vertigo and she couldn't make use of any of her limbs due to the numbness that her body had taken to. Ashlynn squinted into the bright light and focused on one spot where one shadow was being cast above the right side of her head. There was a blurry image of a woman hovering over her, though she didn't know it the woman was holding onto her hand as she maneuvered the moving gurney through the long hallway. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties with stringy brown hair with many of its' strands turning gray with age. The woman noticeably (though not to Ashlynn) adjusted the grip on Ashlynn's hand when she and the other shadows that turned out to be people noticed the injured girl peer at her with squinted eyes.

The woman sighed in relief. "Ashlynn, sweetie, you're going to be okay. We've got you now but we're going to need you to stay awake for us, Hun. One of your neighbors came with to call your parents when the ambulance picked you up. He's waiting in the lobby right now. He said that your mother was closer and was on her way right now. Ashlynn, sweetie, can you hear me? Did you understand everything I just said?"

"...M-Mommy..." Ashlynn softly choked out. The woman gently reached over with the hand that had been holding hers and wiped down the tears that were flowing down her cheeks with a soft piece of cloth. "...Mommy..."

Ashlynn's eyes fluttered. She could feel something warm just out of her reach through the numbness of her being. She wanted that comforting warmth. She didn't want to be in pain any longer and she didn't want to die; not now, not today, and definitely not in the foreseeable future. She wanted to go home to her family.

While her body tensed and twitched in its' own personal hell, Ashlynn retreated into the depths of her mind.

And began to regret...

"That's right, dear, your mother is on her way right now and will be here soon. It's okay, you're going to be okay... Ashlynn...? Ashlynn...? Ashlynn! No! Russel! We're losing her!"

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><p>Dolly cross had a fairly good day despite it starting off with a crossword puzzle that she failed to finish within thirty minutes and the rainstorm that had lasted from seven in the morning to three in the afternoon. But after that the day had began to look up; all of the residents of the apartment complex that she was in charge of paid their rents on time and even a few had paid for the next month as well. This along with nothing needed to be fixed left her in a nice content mood. She had just now finished having dinner with her daughter who went to go back to work on her homework. Dolly dried her hands on the apron tied around her waist and went to the front door to put on her shoes.<p>

"Birdy! I'm going to go pick up another puzzle. I'm going to lock the door so don't answer for anyone okay?"

"Hai, Ka-san!" came the answer from the kitchen table.

Dolly locked the door behind her as she stepped out of her home and walked out of the apartment complex. It was nice outside and since it was only a short walk Dolly didn't bother starting up her car. She waved to a few people who were sitting on their front porches or on balconies doing their laundry on her way out to the side streets towards one of the local convenience stores. She entered through the automatic sliding doors and grabbed a box of granola bars, a book of crossword puzzles, and a pack of gum. Dolly paid the cashier and waved on her way out of the store back to her home.

Dolly froze in the middle of the street only halfway home as the sound of screeching tires and a crash resounded throughout the neighborhood. She darted around two more corners and found a light pole that had been slammed into, a car backing out of the wreckage and sped out of the area nearly hitting Dolly in their haste to leave the scene, and a body lying motionless on the side of the road.

Dolly gasped at the sight and ran over to the female lying on her back in a small pool of blood. Dolly grabbed for her phone and punched in the numbers for the hospital as she tried to asses the damage in front of her.

"What is your emergency?"

Dolly quickly told the woman on the other line where she was. "I stumbled on a hit and run accident. There is a teenage female in need of medical assistance. There's blood coming from the back of her head and possibly from her back, and her arm looks to be broken. The person driving got away, bastard didn't get out to see if the girl was alright...it was too dark so I couldn't see the license plate and he nearly knocked me over too..."

"Right away ma'am. An ambulance is on its way."

After arriving out of the ambulance to the hospital, Dolly waited in the lobby for the next few hours working her way through the new book of crossword puzzles she had just purchased while munching on the granola bars. She looked up then stood when a doctor approached her flipping through papers attached to a clipboard.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you the mother or guardian of the girl you brought in?"

Dolly shook her head in a negative. "No. I'm not. I was close by when the accident happened. How is she? Will she be alright?"

"For now, yes. We've taken a blood test and too care of the bit of blood lost, we should be getting more results other than her blood type within the next few days. There is a minor sprain in her arm and ankle that should be healed within the next two weeks or so, there were also scrapes and bruises that will heal within the week. We are more worried about the slight concussion from the hit to the back of her head. She was lucky that she wasn't hit too hard but we are unsure how much it will affect her when she wakes up. When she does we'll have her stay a while for observation. Ma'am, even though you're not the girls' guardian may we have your information as a contact until we are able to find her family or guardians?"

"Ah. That's fine." Dolly nodded and wrote her information on one of the papers the doctor carried before finally making her way back home to her daughter.

She was in for a wait until the girl would awaken.


	2. Chapter 2

**"The universe may not always be fair, but at least it's got one hell of a sense of humor."**

**-Michael Patrick King**

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><p>Ashlynn had a habit of being a light sleeper and found that sometimes when asleep she would be semi-aware of her surroundings. Sometimes this was nice on school trips like to other schools for track meets. She would be able to sleep and she would be aware of how long it would be until they got to their destination. On the other hand it was annoying when she actually wanted to go to sleep. Being a light sleeper meant that even the smallest amount of noise could wake her up, sometimes she would kept awake all night because of it.<p>

Ashlynn wondered why she didn't wake on that Monday morning. Even if there had been that minor power outage she also had set an alarm on her phone and she remembered that the sound had been on max to wake her. And if even that didn't serve to wake her then any noise from her sister or her parents would have alerted her into consciousness.

She decided now was one of the few times it was useful to her as she had no idea where she was so she opted to feign sleep while she figured out what she could without her eyes. Right now she was laying on her back (which she normally wouldn't. She preferred sleeping on her side or on her stomach.) on a bed that was a little stiff and her pillow soft but very firm underneath her head. She felt the sun on her a while ago so that meant that it was either nearing the afternoon or evening depending where the window was positioned and what direction the room was facing. There was a slight sterile smell in the room as if it had been cleaned recently.

Ashlynn directed her attention to her own body. Her arm was sore and her head was dully throbbing along with her ankle and her upper back. Other than that her health seemed fine. So she took a calming breath for whatever she was to see and slowly blinked her eyes open to take in her surroundings. The room was white. A white ceiling, white walls, tiles, sheets, curtains, her temporary clothing...There were five more beds in the room with only one being occupied by another girl who was fast asleep on the other side of the room. Ashlynn concluded by the style of the beds, the whiteness, and the slight sterile smell that she had been admitted to a hospital.

She looked down at herself; she had been changed into white (again) non-printed cotton pajamas, which in her opinion was a better option than the flimsy paper-like gown one would usually get stuck with when in hospital care. Her arm was in a white and very light cast, it didn't hurt to move it so no doubt it was already been set or it didn't need too much healing, she really didn't know. There was a slight bump on the back of her head, no doubt the source of the migraine she was beginning to feel though she wasn't really surprised; she had been thrown backwards off her feet. Someone had taken her hair down so her honeyed colored hair that was normally held up in a messy bun on the left side of her head with strands pulled from the bun to lay brushing at her shoulders so her hair fell down to her mid-back. That was fine for now so long as the air conditioning stayed cool.

The room was white...

She hated it.

Ashlynn turned her head and directed bronze eyes to the door as it opened to reveal a man in casual clothing with a doctor's coat, he was rather tall with black hair and mossy green eyes that looked through rather tacky square glasses that surprisingly looked nice on him. He looked up from the clipboard of paperwork he was glancing over to rest on her on the hospital bed. He turned to press a button on the P.A. system intercom. He spoke into it but Ashlynn was a bit too far to hear the words spoken but did realize that the man was speaking Japanese. After he got the answer he wanted he turned back to her, stood at the foot of the bed on her left side and smiled with a small bow to her and began to speak to her in Japanese. That in itself was strange and a bit alarming. Not many people save for her family and the exchange student that her family hosted for knew that she was fluent in the Japanese language. Not even her friends at school knew; it wasn't something she got around to mentioning to them.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Miss, my name is Ozumi Kentaro. Weren't expecting you to wake up for another few days or within the next week, you were admitted here to Namimori hospital only a three days ago, Miss..."

"Un...My name is Meagher Ashlynn..." She supplied slowly.

Dr. Ozumi nodded and wrote down on one of the pieces of paper from the stack from the clipboard. "I would like to ask you a few questions if you are feeling up to it Meagher-san. I've already called one of the staff to bring you something to eat. You're hungry right now no doubt. Once that is finished I would like to have you undergo a full physical exam. We need to do this since we seem to have some sort of malfunction in our files since we have been unable to find yours."

Ashlynn frowned. She really didn't like the sound of that. "A malfunction? And you said that this is... Namimori? I'm in Japan?"

"Yes, you are in Namimori, Japan. And as of right now Meagher-san we cannot find any trace of you in our files. We found nothing in the system. Meagher-san, you don't exist..."

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><p>"You look a little worse for wear, Doc."<p>

Dr. Ozumi Kentaro looked up from the files scattered messily across the surface of his desk in his small office. There leaning against the open door that he didn't remember hearing being knocked on or being opened, was the woman he told the lady at the front desk to send in. Ozumi sighed and began organizing all of the paperwork into a semblance of order and motioned for the female to come in and shut the door.

"Thank you for coming in Cross-san." He thanked her as she sat down.

Dolly Cross was a slender half-French half-Japanese woman of twenty-seven; sharp dark green eyes and dark brown hair thrown up in a tight ponytail at the nape of neck. She was wearing a light blue button-up shirt and black slacks. She crossed her legs comfortably as she waited for information from the man across from her.

Dolly went straight into business. "How is she?"

"She woke up this morning, surprisingly, we weren't expecting for her to be up for at least another week at the latest and a few more days at the least. I asked her some questions while she had something to eat and since she was able to stand on her own I had her go through a physical exam," Ozumi picked one of the pages out of the stack. There was a picture of the girl though she was asleep in this one along with the information that had been gathered earlier. He read out loud for the woman sitting in front of him.

"Name is Meagher Ashlynn, light honey brown hair, dark brown eyes, she is five foot six inches. She's an American sixteen year-old born on May 11th. From what she's told me, her mother's name is Cliodhna and her father's name is Cayden. Both parents were born in Ireland before they gained American citizenship before any of their children were born. She has an older brother by the name of Flaithri and a younger sister named Norene. Her home is in Virden Illinois.

Now this is what has been bothering me, Cross-san. The name of the city she gave me does not exist; her street address does not exist along with the school she claimed that she was attending, all that is there where she pointed out is just farmland within a large county. Not only that but we haven't found a single document that proves that she and her family had ever been in the United States. I also checked with hospitals from Ireland where I had a least found the name Meagher; they were a rather well off family in Silgo but the last living member dies over thirty years ago. I know a fellow doctor in Ireland and I have asked if he could try to trace Ashlynn back to that last member. So far there hasn't been anything substantial. I've also asked information from another...contact but I have yet to get an answer from him."

Another page was taken from the stack. "She told me that she remembered walking home from school listening to music. Next thing she knows she's laying on a gurney with a nurse telling her that her parents had been called and that her mother was on the way to the hospital. Now here's a question assuming that this place actually existed: How did she get from being inside a hospital in the United States to lying in the streets of Namimori, Japan?"

"Kidnapping doesn't seem too plausible, but I had found her after a car crash in the residential areas when I was walking home. I didn't actually see the accident but there was a car backing out before they sped off and she was lying in the middle of the street. If she wasn't kidnapped then transferring her here doesn't make any sense if she had been in the U.S., they have many capable hospitals to their use. Have you informed the police to her...situation?" Dolly asked. She was frowning.

"No, no I haven't. And I don't think that their involvement would do the girl any good in all of this. They'll probably assume that since she was hit in the head that she isn't well in her mind. From what I have seen, Meagher Ashlynn is perfectly in the right state of mind. Yes she is a bit disoriented but that is to be expected. She was ran over by a car and somehow ended up in Japan. Professionally I am going to classify her as a case of Fugue."

"What's that?"

"Fugue is the result when a person might have to abruptly travel away from home, which she has, or some kind of trauma (in her case a concussion) and the mind tries to adapt itself to a brand new environment. There is an inability to remember past important aspects of one's life; and the partial or complete adoption of a new identity."

"...When will she be discharged?"

"She is healing a lot faster than we expected her to; perhaps she will be released within the next few days. Like I said when I talked you the night you admitted her into our care, I want to keep her here for observation for a night or two. It shouldn't be any more than that."

Dolly nodded. "Since she doesn't have any family in Japan and so doesn't really have any place to go, there is a vacancy in the apartment complex that I own not very far from here. The Orribu Kodachi. She can stay there until any relatives show up...or until we know what she wants to do."

Dr. Ozumi smiled with a bit of relief "That is very generous of you Cross-san. To do that for someone you had yet to formally meet."

"This certainly is the first time that I'll be taking in a stray. Would it be alright if I go and 'formally meet' her now?"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn stared at the white ceiling in complete and utter boredom. Of course this didn't mean she didn't have a lot to think about, she did and she had a lot, she just didn't want to bring herself down to the level of brooding. It just wasn't like her to do so. So now, she was alternating her stare from the walls to the ceiling with nothing really else to do. She wasn't allowed to put too much strain on her body so she wasn't supposed to be up and about from her bed. Though Ozumi had deemed it alright that she sit on the window sill and stare out through the glass.<p>

When Dr. Ozumi had escorted her back to the room she woke up in the other girl that had been resting in the room had been discharged and Ashlynn was left all alone in the too-white- room with nothing much to amuse herself with. This went on for two more days until she was released from the confines of the white void. Dr. Ozumi had seen her out to the woman he brought to meet her on her first day. Dolly, her name was. Ashlynn thought the woman was cool.

Dolly Cross was the person who found her in the streets of Namimori when she had been run over by a car and had called for medical assistance. Since none of her family was to be found, Dolly had offered her a place to stay (though Dolly would keep an eye on her, Ashlynn would have to take care of herself, i.e. work, school, bills, etc...) until family could be found or until Ashlynn decided she wanted to go back to the States.

This was to tide Ashlynn over until Dr. Ozumi could find how she ended up in Namimori when she had been in a hospital in the states. Because he was not going to involve the police mainly because of the concussion she had, they would have written it off as amnesia or some other symptom that caused her to make up a life out of Japan. Ozumi had actually given the possibility of her being from an entirely different world or dimension. Ashlynn did not refute his claim but made it more plausible. There wasn't a town or city by the name Namimori in Japan when she lived in the States. She would have known if there was or not since her family had hosted an exchange student (the student switched places with her brother Flaithri for three school years). The boy had taught her to speak, read, and write the language and had shown her maps online.

Once discharged, Dolly drove them to her new home in Namimori Japan. The Orribu Kodachi was a bit westernized compared to some of the other apartment complexes that she had seen on the drive over. There were two buildings total, both were two stories high with a nice pale cinnamon colored base with dark green trimmings. There was a grassy courtyard that separated the two buildings from each other. Dolly lead her to the first building and up the stairs carrying Ashlynn's school bag that she never expected to ever see again.

"Each apartment has some basic furnishings inside it," Dolly had explained to her as they went up the stairs. "There is a futon bed, dresser, and a desk in the master bedroom, a low table in the living room and outside on your balcony is where the washing machine and the dryer are. You'll come to my place for meals for the next week or so while we get you some kitchen things and I'll lend you some extra clothes until we go shopping later. We'll start tomorrow"

They walked down to the end of the hallway of the second floor to the very last door, number twenty. Dolly took out a set of keys and used one to unlock the door then showed her which was which before handing them to her along with her school messenger bag. "That one is key for your door and this one is for your mailbox. You don't need to worry about rent or other expenses for a while. I can wait until you are completely settled in and I'll help you find a job in town. We should also get you registered for the local high school. Ozumi-san has generously worked out the legal papers for you to be here in Japan as a citizen. You should thank him the next time you see him."

"I will...and thank you, Cross-san."

She nodded. "You can call me Dolly if you'd like and no suffix is fine. Now, my apartment is number one on this building on the bottom floor so if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me, I'm not a mind reader. I'll let you look around a bit. I need to go pick up my daughter from school. I'll bring takeout home tonight and I'll introduce the two of you when I come back. Unless you want to come?"

"No, that's alright...I want to look around if that's okay."

"Alright then I'll see you later, Ashlynn." Dolly though her face was blank she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder then walked back the way she came to the stairs.

Ashlynn stared at the keys in her palm then turned the knob on the door and entered her new home. It was surreal. She really didn't expect to be out of her parent's house and on her own until at least after she finished high school and even then she didn't think she would live to far away from her family. The longest she had ever been away from the States was during a few summers in Ireland. But that had been to stay with her Grandmother.

She slipped off her shoes and stepped in her socks up the little step that was normal to have in Japanese housing. She was happy to note that the walls of the apartment were a very soft pale yellow, no doubt whoever had lived here before her had painted it. The flooring through the apartment (save for the bathroom and kitchen that had tan tiles) was a light hardwood.

There was the low table of dark brown wood that Dolly said there would be and looking out through the sliding glass door, Ashlynn found the washer and dryer pushed to the far right on the balcony. She made sure that the door was locked before she moved on to the master bedroom. The dresser and the desk were white (She figured it looked nice with the yellow walls) and there was the futon bed folded over and stacked by the wall next to the window. There were two doors in the bedroom, one led to a small walk-in closest and the other revealed the master bathroom. It was a clash of Japanese and western style, there was the shower/bathtub with a blue curtain but there was also a stool and a shower head attached to the wall and the tiled floor with a drain in the middle. There was door in the bathroom where she found the toilet, sink and mirror and medicine cabinet.

Ashlynn returned to the bedroom, dropped her bag, and sat heavily on the folded futon with her back leaning against the wall.

She pushed her unbound hair behind her ears and gave a tired laugh. "Unbelievable...this is freaking unbelievable..."

She sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'm in Nami-fucking-mori, Japan...Ozumi-san is convinced that the place where I lived doesn't exist...he probably thinks that I've gone crazy. I was hit in the head. But Namimori is a place in a god-damned anime! Why! Why the hell am I here! I-I WANNA GO HOME...! Mom...Dad...Flaithri...Norene...Grandma Aine...I wanna go home...I wanna go home..."

The emotional stress that she had bottled up since that Monday from the past week finally cracked and Ashlynn finally could not take anymore and broke down sobbing and crying out for her family. That was how Dolly found her with her daughter peeking from the bedroom door. When Dolly tried to calm her down it only caused more tears to form and fall down Ashlynn's cheeks. The older woman sighed sadly and put Ashlynn on her back and gave her a piggy back downstairs to Dolly's apartment. Dolly barely managed to get the distraught girl to eat anything before Ashlynn was finally put to bed in an exhausted heap.


	3. Chapter 3

**"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."**

**-**_-Anatole France_

* * *

><p>Ashlynn walked slowly in her new (adorable; she had loved the sailor uniforms since she watched Sailor Moon as a child) uniform to Namimori high, the new school that she was to attend during her stay in Japan ;for however long she decided. She ignored some of the curious stares she received on the way to the main office to find her homeroom. A new student was always exciting for the Japanese. In the U.S. there wasn't as much excitement compared to what these students. It was like she was an animal placed on display to be ogled. Ashlynn knew that it was a few weeks after the term first started so she guessed she really shouldn't blame them.<p>

So here she was standing in front of a first year class waiting for the Sensei to allow her in so more of her peers could stare at her and letting her mind wander.

The previous few weeks had passed by in a fast colorful blur. In the beginning while her mind was shutting down and rebooting itself trying to understand the absolute absurdness of her situation, her body continued going through the motions of life on auto-pilot settings. This really pissed Dolly off; she took Ashlynn for a check-up with Ozumi to see if there was anything of risk caused by the concussion. They found nothing and Dr. Ozumi told the girl that he was very pleased by her speedy recovery and explained to Dolly about Ashlynn's unique situation and apologized for not having any new information to give them. Ashlynn had thanked the doctor for his efforts and followed Dolly out of the hospital to the home that wasn't really home.

Right as they got in Dolly's car the woman held Ashlynn's chin in her hand to keep her from looking away and firmly explained that she had had enough of watching as she went around like a zombie. Dolly had no doubts, and told her so, that she was more than likely dead in her world and that was the reason why she was here in Namimori. This was not the time to wallow in self-pity. Even though there was no promise that Ashlynn could ever return to her rightful world, it was high time that she continue living on with the life she had in this one. She was alive and in good health and she had better be God damned grateful about that fact.

After chewing her out on her behavior Dolly helped her get a food handlers license and got her a job working at Fukano's bakery in town. Though Ashlynn had just recently started working there she found that she enjoyed it. She was put in the baking area and even though she had to look off of many recipes they gave to the new employees (just a precaution), she felt a lot calmer and was able to think. That and she was able to bring something home every once and a while. This made Dolly's six year old daughter, Suzume, very happy. The first grader of Namimori Elementary was the spitting image of her mother: Dark brown hair and dark green eyes although they looked a lighter tint and she was much more slender than her mother. She preferred to be called by her nickname, 'Birdy-chan' and she had immediately asked if she could call her 'Onee-san'. Birdy was a very excitable child who was very mature for her age and liked to play in every sport possible; her current favorite was soccer.

Dolly had also helped her register to go to high school. Ashlynn was a little disappointed that she would be re-taking her freshman year because the Japanese school year begins a month before the school year in the U.S.A. ends. Dolly had convinced her to take the first year classes because the curriculum between the two countries were vastly different. So if she was ahead of the curriculum in Japan (not very likely) then she could use the review and would not have to worry about falling helplessly behind if the second year was too far ahead her current level of study. Ashlynn quickly agreed with her reasoning, she didn't want to redo more than she absolutely had to.

Ashlynn sighed smoothing the pleats of her skirt. 'Can they possibly take any longer? The other kids are still talking...did Sensei fall asleep or something...?

She absolutely loved the school uniform. They didn't require uniforms at her old school and even if it had they were normally something khaki with a few other colors or the school colors to 'promote school spirit'. But in Japan she got the super cute navy blue and white sailor uniform. She'd decided that she wouldn't get a new bag so she was carrying her messenger bag that had traveled with her across dimensions. It still had some of her belongings safe inside: her cell phone and its charger, even though she couldn't call anyone in either dimension. Dolly told her that after a little while they would have it activated since there wasn't too big of a difference in the phone styles of this world so she wouldn't have to worry if people asked why she had such a new version. She also happily had her I-pod that was still in as great condition as it always had been and its charger along with it (she was happy with this because it had a lot of pictures and recordings of her friends and family). And at the bottom of the bag were some folders and a pile of string and beaded bracelets. Ashlynn felt a little better about her situation.

Speaking of said situation; Though Dolly and Dr. Ozumi knew she was otherworldly, she did not dare tell them that this reality was from an anime. Yes, she had said that the name, Namimori, was familiar but did not exist. But she never did mention why it was familiar to her.

Ashlynn was in the universe of Katekyo Hitman Reborn and she needed to find out just which arc she was in and decided that while she was here, should she involve herself in the storyline? She knew for certain that the bakery she worked at was the one that both Kyoko and Haru went to (she had already seen them a few times already). Eventually she would catch a glimpse of the other characters but then maybe that would be enough. This was a world of mafia; rival families, deceit, breaking laws of physics and any law in general, fighting, and killing. This was in no way 'Super Happy Fun Time where everything was safe and peaceful with happy kittens and unicorns frolicking over double rainbows', or some kind of romanticized Shoujo series where she would out of no where receive or discover a powerful magical artifact transforming her into some sort of magical faerie/witch/princess/Angel/Priestess/Demigoddess. Though in her childhood she had dreamed of growing up to be a sailor scout...

For once she was actually glad that her siblings had included her with them to watch Katekyō Hitman Reborn. She wasn't one to watch it religiously like Flaithri and Norene, but the plot-line was interesting enough so she had read the manga twice and had watched all of the anime episodes. Ironic that she had been the one magically whisked away to an anime. This was a fangirl's dream or someone's crazy fan fiction online, and here she was; In a popular anime and she wanted nothing more to return back home, though with each passing day that wish no longer seemed realistic.

* * *

><p>"Alright now class settle down. We have a new transfer student from the United States of America. Meagher Ashlynn. Please give her a warm welcome," the teacher (finally) announced to the class. He was the Japanese history teacher and the one that watched the homeroom class in the mornings. His name is Enomoto Hiiro. Ashlynn's first thought was he wasn't very eye-catching: dark brown hair, brown eyes, dressed in a suit, and seemed to have a perpetual straight face. Though he seemed to be able to keep the class's behavior in check.<p>

Ashlynn looked out to the rest of the pupils staring back at her then she bowed to them. "A pleasure to meet you. Please let us get along."

"There is an empty seat next to Hiraoka-san. Please sit next to her Meagher-san." Enomoto-sensei motioned to the girl who was now raising her hand in the air. Ashlynn nodded and made her way to her right side of the class to the window seat in the fifth row. She recognized a few faces from the series, she didn't know their names but they were the high school students that appeared during the episode at the beach and at the summer festival in Tsuna's second year at Namimori middle. She would have to be careful who she made friends with it seemed. When she sat down the girl next to her bowed her head a little and held out her hand.

"Hajimemashite. My name is Hiraoka Ran. If you need any help getting around I'll help you. And if you'd like then you could join me during our lunch break." Ran was of a rather short nature though it was very noticeable while sitting down. She had dirty blonde hair that was cut boyishly short with a flower barrette pulling her bangs to the left side of her heart shaped face. Deep indigo eyes sparkled happily and hopefully.

Ashlynn nodded her head and shook the offered hand. "Thank you, Hiraoka-san. I would like that very much."

"Hahaha! Look at us: being so formal it's funny." Ran giggled into her hand. "Neh, I think we'll get along very well don't you think?"

Ashlynn grinned; at least it hadn't been hard as she thought it would be to make new friends. Ran was nice and genuinely wanted to be her friend.

"You know what?" Ran suddenly stared with an odd intensity. "You look exactly like a character I saw from a series called 'Night's Winter Rain'."

"Hiraoka-san, Meagher-san, please pay attention." Enomoto-sensei called from the front of the room. Ashlynn grinned again. 'First day here and I've already met an otaku though I have no idea what 'Night's Winter Rain' is. I wonder...would this world have any of the titles from my world except Katekyo Hitman Reborn of course.'

Something that Ashlynn learned during her first day of Japanese education was that the students stayed in a single classroom and the teachers would rotate around the school, except for the P.E. being held in the school's gym. Ashlynn noticed that all of her year's teachers weren't anything special. They just didn't stick out which was surprising. They introduced themselves when they found that she was new but other than that the teacher's weren't very...open with their pupils. She was very happy to have Ran with her, the girl practically lit up the room with her (she swore the girl was glowing) smile. But for some reason the majority of the students and even the teachers seemed to be rather irritated with her. When she asked during lunch, Ran shrugged her shoulders and replied that it was no big deal to her and it was no bother. Ashlynn figured it was because the girl was so obviously Otaku, she remembered once reading that a lot of Japanese really didn't take too kindly to Otaku whereas the United States just branded the Otaku as another sub-culture of nerds and geeks. Ran didn't go into detail and she did say that it was no bother so she had let it go. Though she was a bit concerned about the looks that the other students shot at her new friend.

After school the two found that they walked the same route home, though Ashlynn's apartment was another five to ten minute walk away more than Ran's. Once they got a split in the road they waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Ashlynn decided to take a small detour on the way back home. There was a small coffee shop nearby. She didn't like coffee herself but Dolly liked the smell and she would sometimes allow Birdy to have a decaf with cream. Ashlynn decided that she would get a cup for her.

She walked into the little coffee shop and saw a familiar baby at the counter talking to the cashier.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was lying on his bed with one leg crossed over the other, happily reading his small collection of Manga. "I'm glad that I can slack off whenever Reborn isn't around."<p>

He smiled happily and closed the graphic novel and placed it back on the bookshelf and grabbed another volume from the shelf. He made his way back to fall on his bed when he caught sight of the suitcase that Reborn had brought with him when he first came to his house. 'Now that I think about it...' Tsuna set down his book on the low table in the middle of the room. 'Reborn's only possessions are in this suitcase. He has many weapons though, I wonder how he got them all to fit in there? How did he make it work?'

Tsuna quickly glanced around the room to make sure the hitman really wasn't hiding in his room disguised before reaching over to unlock one of the buckles on the case. As he managed to unlock one a mechanical arm extended from the exterior and handcuffed his wrists together, flipped the boy onto his back and held Tsuna into a tight headlock.

"UwaaAAAAAAHHHH!"

The door opened and Reborn calmly strode into the bedroom with Leon on his little hat. Reborn looked unamused at the spectacle his troublesome student was making. "What are you doing Dame-Tsuna?"

"Reborn! Help! Stop this! Save me! Hiiiie!" Tsuna cried trying to pull himself away from the demonic briefcase come to life.

"Hello. May I come in?" Another person had walked into his room and he recognized her uniform as the one for Namimori high school and she had a bunch of bracelets on her wrists, mostly beaded and ones made from string but there were a few little bangles in different colors mixed in. Her honey colored hair was pulled to the left side of her head into a ponytail just above her ear with the strands falling neatly to the top of her chest. She looked down on him with a raised eyebrow and an amused glint in her bronze eyes.

Tsuna closed his eyes and resumed his struggle from his captives hold. It was kinda sad that he was being watched when he was trying to get away from an animate object that was supposed to be inanimate and he was losing miserably. "Reborn! Who is this?"

At Reborn's motioning the older girl came all the way into the room and sat down on the other side of the low table. She looked around the room curiously before she set her eyes on him again and slightly tilted her head to the right. Tsuna struggled again from the hold on his wrists and his head.

Reborn wasn't even going to help him out! He looked at the girl looking at him. 'I can't believe that Reborn brought someone here to see how much of a loser I am! I hope she's not apart of the mafia, but if she isn't...Reborn! Don't be dragging innocent people into your crazy world!'

"I asked her here so I could return her money." Reborn clarified for the struggling teen on the floor.

"Money?" Tsuna stopped moving to look at the hitman. The restraints holding him back released him from its hold. Tsuna rubbed gently at his wrists and his neck.

"Yes. I went to a coffee shop today..."

* * *

><p>"I forgot my wallet at home, so give me an espresso on credit." Reborn said to the teenage girl working at the girl behind the counter. She was surprised, the child ordering in front of her spoke like an old articulate man. But he was such a cute tiny little thing. She wanted to hug him.<p>

"Honey, where are your mommy and Daddy? Are they around? Do you want me to take you to the police station if you're lost?" She asked him nicely.

Reborn pulled out his gun and aimed at her, "Try and the police station will be covered in blood."

"H-Honey! If you keep joking around, I'll call the store owner" She cried, freaked out. The kid had a gun at it looked very real!

"Fnn that will make things easier. Go and get your manager."

"It's okay Miss; I'll pay for him." A high school student had come up to the counter, bought a decaf and got an espresso for him to have. Reborn wanted her to follow him so he could give her money back but she declined and had said that it was no problem and asked if he need help going back home. She then said if he really didn't need any help home then she was going to go and drop off the decaf for one of her neighbors.

He followed her.

When she went up the stairs and entered another apartment and dropped her bag on the kitchen island, Reborn revealed himself pointing a pistol at her and told her that he was going to pay her back and that she really shouldn't give him trouble over it. Despite her protests she ended up following him to the Sawada household.

* * *

><p>"And that's how it went," Reborn said putting some money in the older girls' hand. "Thank you very much Ashlynn."<p>

"I see...Wait! What! You broke into her home and threatened her to come here, Reborn!" Tsuna screeched as he picked up books, clothes, and clearing the bed and floor of his room. Most of the things he picked up were shoved straight into his closet.

"You didn't have to worry about it." The girl, now identified as Ashlynn replied.

'Hmm, her name is foreign. Is she actually part of the mafia? No! No, she could be a transfer student or her parents just liked a different origin for her name! Yeah, that has to be it.' Tsuna consoled himself.

"You've come all the way here. Please make yourself at home. And Tsuna," Reborn said.

"Y-yes?"

"You are being incredibly rude, Loser-student, it is very unfitting of your station as the next Boss. Introduce yourself to our lovely guest."

"Hiiiie! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as his head whipped back to face Ashlynn. "My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but everyone usually calls me Tsuna."

"A pleasure to meet you Tsuna-san. My name is Meagher Ashlynn. Reborn says that he is your home tutor, teaching you to be a mafia boss. Congratulations to you. "Ashlynn nodded her head with a smile but then frowned and looked at Reborn. "Is it alright if I call you Reborn or am I being too familiar? It's been a while since I've used honorifics."

"Fnn, its f-" He was cut off as Tsuna clamped his hands over his mouth.

"He's not my home tutor! H-he's my younger cousin and I'm definitely not a member of the mafia and I'm not going to be a boss for a crime family! Or anything else like that! Ha-ha, isn't little Reborn funny? He's always making jokes to get attention! Ha ha~" Tsuna laughed nervously.

"Eh, but he wasn't lying to me at all when he told me...and your ears are turning red. I believe that is you who is lying Tsuna-san." Ashlynn said bluntly pointing at the reddening ears.

"No I'm no-" Tsuna said quickly letting go of Reborn and clamped his hands over his ears before Reborn flipped him over and started choking him. Tsuna began to foam at the mouth and clawed at the hands that were keeping him from breathing correctly.

"Don't touch me. And don't call me little Dame-Tsuna." Reborn stated.

"Knock knock!" Maman knocked on the door before walking in carrying a tray with snacks and drinks.

"Geh!" Tsuna gulped.

"Hello, Welcome! I'm Tsuna's mother, Sawada Nana."

"Good afternoon, my name is Meagher Ashlynn. Thank you for having me." Ashlynn smiled back.

'My, she's cute! And so polite!' Nana thought, rather shocked, 'Tsuna's with a cute high school girl! This is wonderful!' Nana set the tray on the floor and dropped down and bowed, "Isn't it a bit difficult to have this no-good-son as your boyfriend? He's a bit younger than you too and he's only a first year in middle school. But I'm not one to judge other people's relationships! I hope that he is treating you well."

"MOM!" Tsuna cried.

"No, you're misunderstanding Sawada-san. We're not dating. We just met each other today actually..." Ashlynn tried to correct the boys' mother but she was beyond listening as the woman had started to walk out of the room.

"Make yourself at home! I won't bother you!" Nana said giggling happily before shutting the door.

Tsuna slumped at one side of the table. "I'm sorry! She is always jumping to conclusions! She's completely clueless! I'll go yell at her later!" he exclaimed.

"No, that's alright. It's just a misunderstanding. You don't have to yell at your mother." Ashlynn tried to console the boy.

"Oh,...um...what should we do now...? H-how about a game...? You are the guest here..." Tsuna mumbled unsure. He never had someone come over to house before. And now he had a girl sitting in his room and had no idea how to keep someone entertained.

Reborn smirked pulled out a revolver, "Good idea. How about this?"

"W-wait! What're you going to do! Don't tell us to kill each other…!"

"Of course not, Dame-Tsuna. We are going to play Russian roulette. Russian roulette is…a practice of placing one round in a revolver, spinning the cylinder, aiming the revolver at one's own head in a suicidal fashion, and then pulling the trigger. It is indeed a life-risking way to test one's luck."

"Who would want to play a game like that!" Tsuna yelled.

"Sounds like fun! I'll play." Ashlynn clapped her hands.

Reborn shot a bullet and a party favor on a spring shot out. "The bullet is for party use. So, it's perfectly safe to shoot."

"Oh, of course." Tsuna said, though there was something about this that was bothering him. He didn't like this. At all.

"We'll all play but who's going to do the honor of going first? We'll go clockwise around the table. " Reborn asked.

"Me! I'll do it!" Ashlynn grinned with her hand raised in the air.

"Alright Ashlynn, here you go." Reborn handed her the gun.

Ashlynn took the gun and held it in her hands for a short moment before looking back up at them. She grinned again. "I know it's just a party favor but I'm actually getting nervous, ha-ha. Come on Lady Luck!" Ashlynn pointed the gun awkwardly aiming in the middle of her forehead, closed her eyes and shot herself. There was a bang.

She promptly fell backwards on the floor with the gun falling out of her grip and blood on her forehead.

Tsuna gasped in shock and kept looking between Reborn sitting on the table and Ashlynn's prone form laying on the ground in his room in growing horror. He swore that the room's temperature had dropped.

"Ah. I loaded the dying will bullet on accident. Oops." A shadow overcame Reborn's face.

"O-oh my god! Ashlynn-san! Reborn! W-what! What were you thinking? There is no way that was an accident! And what do you mean 'Ooops'? This is terrible! What are we going to do! How am I going to explain this!" Tsuna screamed pulling at his hair.

"If she were regretting something when she died, maybe she will come back to life with all her might." Reborn said.

"Don't be so irresponsible!" Tsuna yelled at him, "Besides, when you shoot me it happens almost immediately! If she dies, I won't ever forgive you!"

"Look." Reborn pointed at Ashlynn.

Her dying spirit moved around making a noticeable bump inside the girl's skin. It moved around slowly as if trying to figure out how to get out of it's shell before Ashlynn suddenly burst out of her own skin with her hair unbound and only wearing a dark green bra that was seen through a tiny white tank top and matching dark green panty shorts. But what caught the two's attention, mainly Reborn's, was that instead of the typical yellow orange fire that appeared at the brow of the person shot with the dying will bullet, the flame on Ashlynn's forehead was bright green and was sparking lightning.

"Reborn." She whispered. Her eyes seemed darker than they were previously. She stood up from sitting on the floor and left the bedroom.

"Hiiiie! I'm sorry!" Tsuna covered his eyes but quickly uncovered them when he heard his bedroom door open. The girl was going down the stairs. Tsuna and Reborn both got up and followed her down the steps. "I-is that her dying will? It's green. Why is that?"

"Fnn."

'I wonder what she is regretting right now...' Tsuna wondered. "Oh, shoot! She shouldn't go outside like that!" He ran back up the stairs to his room and grabbed a blanket and rushed down the stairs.

"KYAAAAAAA!"

Tsuna found a human shaped hole in the wall of the kitchen. Nana was cowering behind the island counter with dishes in her hands; her eyes were wide staring at the girl in front of her. Ashlynn clad only in her underwear and a white tank top approached her.

"Sawada-san, what you said back there was unacceptable. A mother should not say such things about her son. You never know that something could happen, and that could be your last words to him. I'll ask that you retract it. No matter what!" She said quietly but was perfectly heard by those in the kitchen. Ashlynn smacked her hands on the counter crushing it in half.

"Hiiie! She was upset about what mom said to me earlier?"

"I'm angry." Ashlynn stepped over the remains of the island counter. "Because you labeled him like that. Without any consideration to how much you are hurting your child emotionally."

"Hieeek!" Nana screamed in terror trying to get away from the girl.

"I won't let you get away." Ashlynn roughly pulled on the straps of Nana's apron then lifted her up by the front of the woman's shirt. "Now please retract your words and apologize to your child."

"Gyaaaaah!" Nana dropped the plates in her hands; they fell to the floor with a crash.

"Ahh! What should I do!" Tsuna shouted.

"There's no other way. I'll have to use that. Reverse ton!" Reborn pulled out and set down a briefcase with a clack, opened it, a pulled out a sledgehammer.

"That's just an ordinary hammer!" Tsuna pointed out.

"It weighs one ton." Reborn walked forward dragging the mallet.

"O-one ton! What are you plotting? Don't tell me you're...Hey! Wait!" Tsuna grabbed, but missed Reborn had already jumped in the air, swung back and smashed the hammer on the back of Ashlynn's head. The Dying will bullet flew out of the girls forehead onto the floor and the sparking green flame went out, she dropped Nana from her hold and fell unconscious to the stared at the girl on the floor before she also fainted and fell to the ground next to the girl.

"The bullet came out!" Tsuna yelled surprised. "Ahh! Mom! Ashlynn-san!" Tsuna remembered the blanket in his hands and he covered the high school girl with the cloth.

"Reverse 1 ton can disable any shots made from the Dying Will Bullet. However, only I can ever use this technique.." Reborn explained placing the hammer back into its case. "Now she will think her entire Dying Will experience was just a dream."

"If you had this method before, then why didn't you use it from the beginning!"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn was in her apartment. And she didn't remember walking home.<p>

But once she remembered what she had done that day she knew that it had probably been Tsuna that carried her back with Reborn leading him the way. She hoped that Dolly hadn't seen them with her knocked out and most likely clad only in her underthings. Dolly had become very protective of her over the few weeks that she had been in Namimori and if Dolly found that something bothered her daughter (It had happened when Birdy informed them that a teacher had called her stupid know it all when she had corrected him) or Ashlynn; Dolly became frightening. Even without the use of the shotgun or pistol that was laid on display on the wall in Dolly's room.

Ashlynn sat on her new westernized bed (she had sold the futon to a thrift store, then she had bought the bed on sale with Dolly's help) toweling her hair dry from her shower. Just moments after she woke from her 'nap', a man delivered a garment bag with two new school uniforms inside to her (hers had been ruined when she had been 'reborn').

She smiled. Unknown to Reborn she remembered everything (except being brought back home) from her dying will experience and knew that without a doubt that it wasn't just a mere dream.

"Today I met Reborn, bought him an espresso and went to Tsuna's house. In the anime and manga it had been Kyoko who had done this and Ashlynn had taken the girl's place this time around.

'At least I have a good idea where I am in the storyline now...but being involved or not may not be my decision anymore. Now that Reborn saw my dying will, no doubt he'll have me join whether I want to or not...'

Ashlynn sighed; her body was a little sore from being shot with the dying will bullet. She would go to bed early today. She wanted to start running again in the mornings before school like she had before she arrived in Japan. Though now she would be alone since she didn't know if Namimori high had a track team or not.

She had to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

**"_Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt."_**

**_-Jose` Ortega y Gassett_**

* * *

><p>For the next few days of the week Ashlynn's alarm went off an extra two hours before she normally would get up for school on a day that she didn't train in the morning. For the first month of being in Namimori she would wake up with thirty minutes to get to school and an extra ten before classes were set to start. She had originally started this routine in the sixth grade when she received permission to go run with the Virden high school track and field team in the mornings (in what they called the zero hour class: The class before classes start.) and she had run the same route they had taken right before dinner. She hadn't been the fastest of the group but had averaged in the top ten of the group of fifty students involved. By the time she was a sophomore it was expected that she would have surpassed the first ranked runner. Ashlynn resolved to find out if Namimori high had a track team or not. If they didn't, well it was fine to run by herself until someone she knew ever offered to go with her.<p>

Ashlynn had once asked her older brother Flaithri to run with her and he had up until he left for college. He initially ran with her during the holidays in the mornings but after a few days of waking up early while on break, he told her apologetically that it was enough.

"If you want me to go running with you, I'm going to need some motivation, " He said, "Like a demented clown waving a bloody knife chasing after us."

So the very next morning she gathered some of his friends that lived nearby to dress as clowns with realistic bloody knives to chase them. While it had been funny as hell, was recorded and uploaded on YouTube, and it had been a clever play on words; Flaithri never did run with her again after that stunt. Although it had encouraged Flaithri's friends to chase each other on their respective campus'. The most notable was the four gorillas chasing a banana.

Ashlynn locked her apartment before she left the complex wearing a baggy gray t-shirt, black gym shorts and holding a water bottle in one hand. She also had her I-pod on her upper arm with Velcro but she only put in one ear piece while the other was tucked into her shirt. She was going to explore a bit more of the streets in Namimori. So far she knew the route to the school, the library, and Fukano's bakery. So she was now jogging around the residential area to get a better feel of the surrounding areas.

After running in zig zags for an hour while committing the street names to memory; Ashlynn found that she was near Tsuna'a house. She was about to pass it by in favor of more exploring before she was greeted by a voice from the top of the wall surrounding the Sawada property.

"Ciaossu." It was Reborn sitting on the ledge separating one house from another, petting Leon, the little chameleon who was perched in the hitman's tiny palm.

Ashlynn jogged in place and greeted back. "Ah, Reborn. Good morning"

"Meagher Ashlynn, I want you to join Tsuna's family." He stated.

"Tsuna-san's family?" Ashlynn stilled, head tilted to one side unaware of the face she was making . 'Wow, Reborn, right to the chase huh? And only after one encounter with you and Tsuna.' She thought.

"Yes, It wasn't a lie that he is going to be a mafia boss. I want you to join the next generation of the Vongola Famiglia. Come to Namimori Junior high school, today you have been excused from your classes. This is your pass onto the grounds if someone decides to intercept you. Be there in forty-five minutes." Reborn said handing her a school pass before jumping away and disappearing.

Ashlynn stared at the pass a few moments before turning and sprinting back to her apartment. She was going to need to prepare and she had only so much time to do so. Though really, how do you prepare when you're going to have weapons targeted at you by a top-ranked mafia hitman?

* * *

><p>Tsuna rubbed at his eyes sleepily as he walked sluggishly to Namimori Junior high. His morning had been very unpleasant; waking up to the sound of explosions, his limbs were tied together restricting their movement and being face with a rocket launcher aimed at your face wasn't exactly the most ideal way to wake up early in the morning.<p>

"Yaw~~n, I'm so sleepy..." Tsuna rubbed his eyes again, nearly crashing into a light pole because of his hand in front of his eyes.

"Yo, Tsuna, wait for me!" Yamamoto ran up to catch up with him.

"Oh! Yamamoto! Good morning!"

Yamamoto rested his elbow on Tsuna's shoulder. "You look tired Tsuna. Are you staying up really late at night? You've got some really dark circles under your eyes."

"Err…Ah…some stuff has been happening lately." Tsuna said with a forlorn look and sighed tiredly.

'I want to stay as normal friends with Yamamoto…I can't possibly say that a hitman from another mafia family came to assassinate the hitman that is torturing me and living in my home and keeps making the attacking hitman cry, who is also now living with me. And Mom keeps telling me to stop them from fighting each other. Though Lambo starts it and Reborn ignores him or throws his attacks right back at him...and I had to take Lambo outside a few times to get him away from Reborn...' Tsuna began to sweat. '...Is that why he woke me up like he did this morning...? Because I kept leaving because of Lambo when I should have been doing homework...?'

"Well, as long as you're not sleep deprived from studying all night long, than that's good. Otherwise I'd lose my failure buddy, right? Then the teacher would pick on me more often because I didn't study." Yamamoto smiled and good naturedly smacked Tsuna's arm.

"Augh! He struck the Juudaime! That is unforgivable!" Gokudera was watching the exchange from the second story stairs in front of the school's front entrance. 'Damn that baseball bastard!' He crushed an empty pack of cigarettes in his hand,' He's being way to clingy and informal to the Juudaime! His behavior is insulting!' Gokudera looked at the hitman sitting on the railing next to him. "Reborn-san, are you really planning to let that guy into the Juudaime's family?"

"I'm not planning. I've already decided on it. He'll be useful."

"Wha! But he's so, so- Surely there is someone better and more qualified then that-Augh! He hit the Juudaime again! Damn him~~! Do it again, baseball bastard and I will kill you where you stand~~! Reborn-san, please! Please reconsider you decision! I object to have someone so rude like him entering the Vongola Family!" Gokudera pleaded. He looked over to the top hitman for an answer. Reborn was still on the railing, blowing a bubble through his baby nose.

"W-will you not hear me out on this, Reborn-san? I swear he will bring the family into ruin! We just can't risk him joining our ranks!"

* * *

><p>Tsuna looked on with horror as Reborn nonchalantly swam in the school's swimming pool in an inner tube, eating a creamsicle. Swimming when no one was allowed to be in the pool area. There was a tray floating on the water's surface within the baby's reach, and Leon was swimming next to his partner; transformed to look like a rubber ducky. Reborn looked up at him without a single care or worry that he (Tsuna) was going to be in a lot of trouble if anyone found out they were here.<p>

Reborn took a small bite out of his frozen treat. "So to put Gokudera's concerns at ease, I have decided to hold the 'Family Entrance Test'."

"What! W-what about my concerns!" Tsuna exclaimed hotly. "I don't want there to be a family and I don't want to be the Boss in the mafia! So why are you deciding these things by yourself! And I'm sure that you're not allowed in the school's pool let alone allowed on campus!

"Oh? Are you feeling left out Tsuna? Would you like to decide what the participants have to do for the test today? Would that make you feel better and more involved?"

"No! No test! And I don't want to be involved with whatever scheme you have cooked up! Yamamoto is my classmate! He's my friend (only one of the very few that I have!) and he's busy with baseball to be involved with your weird world! And what do you mean by 'Participants'? You're not dragging anyone else into this are you?"

"Too late. I already had Gokudera call Yamamoto out to courtyard so they should already be there waiting. And the other participant should be on the way over too." Reborn ignored Tsuna's protests and dived into the water.

"What!" Tsuna screeched, scrambling around the fences that enclosed the perimeter of the pool are and ran towards the courtyard on the other side of the school. "Gokudera-kun, No! What am I going to do if something happens and Yamamoto gets hurt? He won't be able to play baseball anymore! Everyone will hate me and, and...and what if Yamamoto does something drastic again when he can no longer play!"

* * *

><p>The thick tension between the two teens was completely one-sided.<p>

Yamamoto smiled at the other boy unaware of the bad mood the other boy was in. "Hey, hey Gokudera. What's with calling me out and giving me the silent stare down? Class has already started without us."

'What a nasty dude...There is no way that someone so weak looking could even think to be able to protect the Juudaime let alone be of any use for the family.' Gokudera glared at the baseball player.

"Here, drink this," Yamamoto offered a cold milk carton to the boy from his school bag. "They say that frustration is caused by not having enough calcium in your system. You can see your stress by your hair. First it'll gray and then before you know it your hair may start falling out."

'That's fucking it! This is my limit with this punk! Prepare to die you idiotic jock!' Gokudera seethed pulling out sticks of dynamite and prepared to attack.

"HEEEEY!"

Gokudera quickly put out the sparks and hid the dynamite sticks behind his back as he turned to face his boss. "Juudaime! Good morning!"

"Hey, Tsuna. You ended up ditching class too?" Yamamoto greeted then pointed behind Tsuna who was hunched over catching his breath. "Hunh? Who's that behind you Tsuna? You brought your little brother to school today?"

Gokudera glared at him and sat down on a nearby bench. Tsuna looked behind him and saw Reborn standing on Leon transformed skateboard and holding onto a rope that was tied around Tsuna's belt and waist band. "Geh! Reborn! No wonder it was heavier when I was running over here!" Tsuna cried.

Reborn ignored him. "Ciaossu. I'm not his little brother. My name is Reborn of the Vongola Famiglia and the strongest hitman in the entire world."

'Ahh! You idiot! Don't say such things so casually! Better yet don't even say anything at all and leave!' Tsuna grasped the sides of his head in frustration.

Yamamoto knelt in front of Reborn. "Hahaha! I see, well, I apologize. It must be troublesome to be the strongest hitman at such a young age."

"Not really. You are going to join the family too." Reborn declared.

Tsuna cut in. "No! Reborn this isn't a good idea!"

"See Reborn-san! Even the great Juudaime agrees with me! I don't see the worth in having a useless person in the family!" Gokudera added.

"Come on Tsuna, Gokudera, he's only a little kid. Besides didn't you do it when you were young too? Pretending to be cops and superheroes?" Yamamoto asked with a perpetual smile.

'H-he thinks that this is all just an elaborate game!' Tsuna thought defeated. Yamamoto grinned and picked Reborn and settled the hitman on his shoulder. Tsuna gaped at the scene in front of him. "Damn you Reborn! He nearly kills me when I even try to touch him! But in front of Yamamoto he's like a borrowed house cat looking for attention! And he's acting all goody goody for him!'

"The next Boss is going to be Tsuna. I am training him to be a Don and how to manage a family." Reborn told the baseball player.

"Oh? That's a very good choice of person." Yamamoto affirmed.

Reborn smirked and motioned to their left towards the gates of the school. "And here comes the other participating contestant to be in Tsuna's family."

The boys looked over to the approaching figure that was walking in their direction. Tsuna flipped. "What! Reborn NO! Don't drag Ashlynn-san into this! I don't want her to even have to worry about the mafia!"

Ashlynn smiled when she stood in front of Tsuna and Yamamoto with Reborn on his shoulders. Gokudera was glaring from his seat on the bench. "Tsuna-san, Reborn, good morning."

"Who the hell is this broad?" Gokudera demanded.

"This is Meagher Ashlynn, a first year at Namimori high school. She will be participating in the test today." Reborn introduced the girl in front of them. Ashlynn nodded to the boys and set down a large water bottle on the bench next to the one where Gokudera had been sitting. Said boy shook his fist angrily.

"Wait, Reborn-san! She's older than all of us! That must mean that she is our enem-" He was cut off by Yamamoto's laughter.

"Ha ha! Well, this will definitely be more of a contest now! My name is Yamamoto Takeshi and over there is Gokudera Hayato." Yamamoto introduced himself and Gokudera to the other contestant. Gokudera scoffed and lit up a cigarette. Ashlynn nodded her head in greeting again then looked to Reborn for instructions. The hitman bounced off of Yamamoto's shoulder to the ground.

"First is the entrance test."

"So we need to pass this to be initiated? That's pretty legitimate." commented Yamamoto.

"If you cannot pass this test, then you will be unable to join the family..." Reborn told them.

Tsuna sighed in relief. 'Oh, then that's okay. As long as they don't pass the test then everything should turn out just fine so Yamamoto and Ashlynn-san won't have to worry about mafia involvement.'

"…Because you will be dead if you cannot pass and your ashes will be scattered with the wind." Reborn finished the thought.

"It will be fine because they will be dea- What! Noooo! That's not a good thing at all! Reborn, stop this!" Tsuna cried.

Yamamoto patted Reborn on top of the fedora. "Ha ha! You are seriously funny, you know what? I'm starting to really like you."

"The test is easy enough. Just simply dodge all of the attacks against your life. Well, let's start. First level is knives!' Reborn announced and began targeting Yamamoto and Ashlynn with the sharp projectiles.

"Whoa!" cried Yamamoto. He had just barely missed having his arm skewered by three knives. Ashlynn easily jumped to the right and out of harms way; she watched how Reborn flexed his arm as he threw the weapons in their direction and acted accordingly to what she was able to see.

"Wait! Reborn! You're not seriously going to kill them are you?'" Tsuna yelled, rushing in front of Yamamoto.

'I am going to Fucking Kill him…' Gokudera was still seething.

"Wait up now Tsuna. When we were kids we played with wooden swords and other weapons right? It's alright; I'm going to stick around. How about you Ashlynn-san?" Yamamoto called.

Ashlynn was waiting with her hands on her knees, "Yeah, I'm not going to give in on the first level. It'll be over when I can't move anymore! And you may all call me just Ashlynn without the suffixes, okay?"

She tilted her head to the side in confusion when Yamamoto and Tsuna whipped their heads to look at her with red tinting across their cheeks. Gokudera and Reborn were unaffected for some strange reason.

"...Did I say something wrong...?...Oh, that's right, in Japan to call someone without a suffix is either incredibly insulting or it implies familiarity like between lovers or family...Sorry about that; it's a culture difference I haven't completely gotten used to (Ran reacted the same way). But, seriously you guys can call me Ashlynn. You don't use suffixes in the U.S."

They were still staring at her.

Ashlynn sighed. "Reborn, let's continue!"

Reborn smirked and decided that since Yamamoto was clearly not in the right mind he decided to target him before he switched his attacks on a both contestants. Yamamoto quickly shook out of his daze and commented lightly on the realism of the toys Reborn was throwing at them. Ashlynn smiled at the remark but did not make any remark in favor of dodging projectile weapons.

'They both think that this is a game! B-but those knives are actually real! Why- how can they not tell!' Tsuna was appalled.

"As your going to be their Boss, Tsuna, you should show them an example of your prowess and your ability as their superior." Reborn said.

"That's great! Now it's even more of a race to see who's going to pass! Well, let's run!" Yamamoto said pumped up.

"No way! Wait up!" Tsuna squealed and clambered after the other two teens.

"Good form, Tsuna!" Yamamoto complimented the two, dodging more of the knives thrown at him.

"Yamamoto has very good reflexes. He's got skill from his baseball training. And Ashlynn is very quick on her feet and seems to be able to tell where I'm throwing even at this distance. It seems that she's been training for a good while now with her speed. Very good." Reborn remarked nonchalantly but was rather impressed by the two. They had potential that could shape them into strong hitmen.

"Is that so? Keh…" Gokudera snorted.

"You know recent toys seem so realistic these days! Those really look like real knives. It's amazing!" Yamamoto commented on the weaponry as the three were running towards the other end of the courtyard.

"You thought those were toys!" Tsuna cried.

Ashlynn shook her head amused; they were doing very well so far. And she was pleasantly surprised at how easily this was so far. But she would have to take care not to become too over-confident when it was only level one. She also needed to keep an eye on Tsuna so she could help him where she could. That was the point of the test they were having. Survive and make sure that the Boss (Tsuna) escaped with his life.

"Next weapon is a bow-gun." Reborn announced switching out the knives.

"Eh! He got here ahead of us!" Tsuna hollered.

"GAHAHAHAHA! Found you Reborn!"

"Now what!" Tsuna tensed.

"I am Lambo of the Bovino Family! I'm Lambo who came to Junior High school even when he's only five years old!" The child wearing a cow-printed suit announced from a second story window of the school. Ashlynn wondered why none of the disciplinary committee or Hibari had shown up yet. They were making quite a lot of noise in the courtyard. None of the students inside seemed to take any notice either. Was having explosions go off on campus a normal occurrence?

"The most annoying one has appeared!" Tsuna shouted.

"Bovino? I've never heard of that family. What do you want to do, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked.

"Fnn, continue." He replied and began opening fire on the three teens once more.

"Hiiiie!" Tsuna screamed and bolted back to the other side of the courtyard. Yamamoto and Ashlynn quickly caught up to him.

Lambo watched as he was ignored, Tears were beginning to form in the child's eyes. "Hold…it…in! Oh wait! Yeah! The boss from Italy sent Lambo who's working really really hard, a brand new weapon to use on his mission! TA-Da~~ A missile launcher!"

Lambo presented the large weapon with great fanfare and began to cry again when no one paid any attention to him. "Die Reborn!" Lambo aimed and fired the launcher.

Ashlynn quickly looked behind to see the missiles approaching at them instead of Reborn fast, she grabbed Tsuna and Yamamoto's arm and dragged them out of the way of the explosion. "You guys okay?" She coughed as the smoke began to clear up.

"Wow, that's was a cool firework. Though it looks like if I take it easy, I'm not going to pass." Yamamoto said. Tsuna looked ready to start cry.

'There's one.' Reborn smirked.

"Darn, lacked more than ten meters." Lambo reloaded the launcher.

"Reborn! Let's stop this test! You saw that right? Lambo started to shoot missiles! It's too much for us to continue!" Tsuna tried to reason with Reborn.

"Round three. A sub-machine gun, at the level of a trainee hitman." Reborn announced and switched to the said weapon and once again opened fire. Lambo had fired another round of missiles in the area. Ashlynn sucked in a quick breath, the bullets were getting way too close for her comfort. She had some scratches where some had skimmed her skin and her left leg had a slight burn from the missile explosion shot by Lambo, it was beginning to really hurt putting her weight on it. And Gokudera still had yet to start throwing dynamite and older Lambo to appear.

"Gokudera, you can cut loose as well. Think about killing Yamamoto and do it." Reborn suggested.

'Ohhh….well, that's too bad. Since Reborn had suggested it.' Gokudera readied his dynamite. "Juudaime!" The bomb expert yelled.

"Eh?"

'Please dodge these Juudaime!' Gokudera winked.

"Damnit Reborn! Then I'm going to use the ten-year bazooka!" Lambo shouted pointing said weapon to his face and firing then was surrounded by a pink smoke. "Goodness." Said the older figure that took Lambo's place. "It looks like Lambo from ten years has to do it. Thunder Set!"

"Next is the rocket launcher." Reborn switched out the sub-machine gun.

"Die!" Gokudera threw bombs into the courtyard.

"What the..!" said a shocked Yamamoto

"Oh, no." Ashlynn moaned

"HIIIIIIIIIIEE!" Tsuna screamed.

...

'Oh, crap! I think I overdid it.' Gokudera instantly defused the rest of his bombs in his hands. "Juudaime! Juudaime! Are you alright?" He called out.

"They're fine." Reborn noted.

"Phew, that was a really close one, huh?" Yamamoto had one of Tsuna's arms draped over his shoulder. Ashlynn was holding Tsuna's other arm. They had both jumped in grabbing Tsuna out of the way and covering the smaller boy with their bodies to shield him from the blast. All three were covered with dirt and scratches and there were many burns between Yamamoto and Ashlynn.

"Since they pulled me out of the way in time….I was saved." Tsuna whimpered.

"Congratulations. You both passed the entrance test. Not only did you have to preserve your own life, but you protected the life of your boss. You are now officially a part of the Vongola Family. Congratulations to both of you." Reborn congratulated then two.

Gokudera went up to Yamamoto and roughly grabbed the boys shirt, "Good job." He said. "You both protected the Juudaime. So I have no choice but to allow admittance into the family. But I am the Juudaime's right hand man so you could be the shoulder blade."

"Hahaha! You're really funny Gokudera! But, I don't want to withdraw from being Tsuna's right arm. So, you'll be the earlobe."

"What the Fuck! Then you're the Nose hair!"

"Ha-ha! Then you're the snot in his nose!"

'In a sense I guess they are getting along fairly well. More like those two are already in subordinate mode... Please stop!' Tsuna turned away from Yamamoto and Gokudera who were arguing over what body part they were according to his body. That was rather awkward. And creepy.

"Well, I'm going to go to class. See you Shorty." Yamamoto waved to reborn and picked up his school bag and began walking out of the courtyard. "Those bombs and toys seemed real and I've got some pretty nasty burns. This was a lot of fun."

"Bye. Have a nice day." Reborn waved the boy off.

"Juudaime! Let's go to the roof until next class!" Gokudera suggested before grabbing Tsuna's arm and dragging him towards the school building.

"AHH! G-Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna cried.

Ashlynn sighed heavily before sitting down in a nearby bench and took a long drink from her water bottle. Reborn jumped and sat next to her. Leon leaped from Reborn's fedora and was crawling around in her hair; the little chameleon settled into the loose, messy bun and poked his head out.

"I'm impressed at how well you did today and you managed to be the first to pass the test. How long have you been in training and who was your previous teacher?" he asked.

Ashlynn finished off her water and looked over at the damage to the courtyard. "I run and stretch every morning and before dinner when I can. I've been doing this since around the sixth grade. My teacher was a high school coach in Illinois. He was the track and field coach and he let me run with the team on their routes. His name was Mr. Jared Whitley."

"Fnn, and you still run even though you're in Namimori." That was a statement. "Maybe I'll have Tsuna join you in the mornings." Reborn nodded, Leon jumped out of his perch in Ashlynn's hair and sat on the brim of Reborn's fedora.

"The company would be appreciated if he'll do it. I'm going to head on home now. Then I'll call in and see if the bakery needs some extra help today. They usually do and it's just about time for the morning rush to start."

"Fnn, you work as well? That's very responsible of you."

"I live alone and take care of myself. I'll be leaving now, have a nice day, Reborn." Ashlynn waved goodbye and walked slowly out of the school's campus. Reborn watched her leave while he petted Leon on the head before he left the courtyard and went to find his no-good student to torture. Fifteen year old Lambo watched as was once again ignored by everyone. He sighed and leaned against the window sill and waited for his five minutes in the past to end. When the teenager poofed back to his rightful place in the future his younger counterpart went back to the Sawada household. He was hungry.

* * *

><p>"Ashlynn-chan, my darling sweet little honeybun! Thank you so much for coming in on a day you don't even work! It's become so hectic today that we'll need the extra help we can get. I'll make to sure to pay you extra for today!" The founder and owner of the bakery practically cried in relief when Ashlynn came in and asked if she needed any extra hands for the day.<p>

"I was excused from school today and decided that I wanted to come by and see you Boss Lady. So it's not a problem at all." Ashlynn told the woman who was crushing her in a hug.

The woman really didn't seem to realize her own strength and this was shown when she hugged people. A lot. Even strangers. When Dolly had gone with her to ask about the help wanted sign in the front of the bakery, the woman took one look at her and she (Ashlynn) was suddenly brought in an embrace that she felt a whiplash. Fukano Keiko was thirty-two years old with a boyfriend out of the country and no children. She had long black hair and light hazel eyes that was always shining happily. She was a tall woman with very large breasts. Because of her own height, Ashlynn, always without fail, found herself to be crushed into the other woman's boobs. Ashlynn had taken to calling her 'Boss Lady' and was rewarded with a joyful smile every time she called her that. Fukano absolutely loved her nickname and tried to get the rest of her minions (employees) to call her the same thing.

When Ashlynn finally was released from the tight grip she headed to the back of the bakery to start working. She was immediately put to work on cookies. Her body automatically did all the steps in a fluid manner and she allowed her to wander to the test she had taken earlier in the morning. After she had returned home she took a shower and took care of the burns to the best of her ability and covered the scrapes and bruises she had earned.

'Today was surprising. I feel...a lot faster than I normally am. And the burns from earlier are healing and it's only been about an hour and a half that I got them. I wonder why none of the teachers or students or any of the faculty went out to check what was going on. The noise must have disturbed a class or two... We were lucky though that Hibari didn't come out. We would have been punished for destroying school property and I really don't want to fight with him. Not yet anyway.'

One of the female employees came in through the door that lead to the front of the shop. "Hey, the rush has ended so it's going to be slow from here on out. You can go work in the front and I'll take over back here."

Ashlynn only nodded. She didn't know her name, hell she didn't know any of the other employees names that worked there. They had never went out of their way to introduce themselves so she was stuck always looking at the name tags on everyone when she needed to know something.

Ashlynn retied her apron and walked back to the front of the bakery and found that the other girl had been right. Business had downright stopped compared to the flood of people that had been in the building when she first came in for the day. It was...like a ghost town... and she was the only one...eerie. The only thing missing was tumbleweed rolling across the distance along with the wind. There were normally two rushes during the day; the morning one stated at nine-thirty in the morning and lasted between ten and eleven in the morning. Then there was another rush from four in the afternoon to six in the evening. The bakery would close its doors for the night around eleven-thirty at night.

The little bell attached to the top of the entrance door rang as a customer entered. Ashlynn turned around and nearly gasped when she saw who it was. Seriously, think of the devil and he shall appear. Hibari Kyouya was staring at her from the other side of the counter.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

That's why it was deserted in the front. Everyone had most likely fled the place when they saw Hibari approach. And it explained why that female employee said she would switch with her. What a total bitch. Ashlynn schooled her features and looked to the prefect and tried to hide her nervousness. She smiled, she hoped it didn't look like a grimace.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you?" Ashlynn asked politely.

"Coconut juice and a sleeve of shortbread."

"Alright, coming up." Now she understood why there was so much of that kind of juice stocked in the fridge and in the storage. Taking a can out of the fridge and putting the ordered short bread in a bag she went returned to the counter and placed them on the space between them.

"That will be-" She was cut off by the the money being shoved under her face. She took the bill and gave him back the change.

Ashlynn bowed her head. "Thank you for coming to Fukano's."

He stood there and stared for a few moments before he snatched his purchases and left the building. She stayed where she was and didn't move again until she heard the roar of a motorcycle and saw the prefect drive away. Ashlynn sighed in relief. That was absolutely terrifying. She was sure that encounter alone had shave off years of her life. The employee from earlier peeked out through the door from the back. When she saw that no one was in the building but Ashlynn she came over behind the counter.

"Did he leave?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Thanks a lot for sacrificing me." Ashlynn grumbled. Bitch.

"I didn't want to be bitten to death. For some reason he really doesn't like me or any of the other employees. Only Fukano-san can get away from being bitten to death because she interests him. There had been another who was the same but she retired years ago. _Sigh._ Even if I'm the only one in here he'll still strike me, so of course I'm going to put you out here in my place. Did he bite you to death?"

"...No. He didn't."

"Oh, that's goo-wait. What! He didn't do anything? He always hits me! And Koji-kun too! That's not fair! What did you do?" The employee fodder began to rant on how unfair it was. Ashlynn decided that she had enough and certainly didn't want to listen to the bitch whine. She went to Boss Lady's office and asked if she could go home.

"Yes, yes! Go on ahead sweetie! Oh! Here, take this. This is your check for the week and some extra for today's work." Fukano-san said happily handing her an envelope with her check inside. Most of it would go to Dolly for rent and other expenses and the rest would go to food, bathroom things, and medical supplies.

With passing the Family Entrance Test she knew that she was going to need a lot of them. If not for herself than for the boys with her.


	5. Chapter 5

**News: Caomhnoir now has its own Deviant Art group~! A link has been provided on my profile page, and to make sure there is no confusion my pen name here: SilverMononoke, is the same on Deviant Art.**

I've also updated my profile: it has a new feature! called the 'Credit corner' where I tell what I don't own in this story~

In other news I just finished reading all the way to the most recently added chapter of the Katekyo Hitman Reborn Manga~ It is amazing, a real shame that the anime is on a permanent hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. Right now I'm waiting for more chapters to be released so I can learn more about the Arcobaleno so I don't do what a lot people have done and just say that Verde had magically found a way to revert all of them back into their adult forms without explaining the process How, and How he knew that it would work. Seriously

Some of your reactions to this story's reappearance is greatly amusing :D. I especially like when you leave me squees, nya's, kyaa's, and smiley faces~~ You know who you are~.

I believe that is all the announcements for this particular week~~

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><p><strong>"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change—this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, Progress."<strong>

_-Bruce Barton_

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><p>After a quick shower and a change into uniform Ashlynn was on her way one morning to Namimori High. After only a few days in attendance she found her new school to be rather lacking in the sports department. She had no problems academically but it was a big disappointment as a person being physically active. And things she would have been interested in under normal circumstances were dismissed in favor of what she would soon be doing when she wasn't at work or hanging out with Ran.<p>

Kendo: One of the very popular sports in school was for males. It had never occurred to anyone that a girl could join since not a single one had ever joined the ranks before. While it wasn't a real problem there was just a feeling when she stayed to watch some of their practice. She would bet that the moment that she joined she would be immediately be carted off to be the equipment manager or something else mundane.

Baseball: She was an American, of course she liked baseball but when she asked the team manager if they had female players that actually played on the boys team or if there was a fast pitch softball for the girls of the school. The poor boy had stared at her in confused silence. Not to mention the many glares from the baseball teams many fangirls when she took the manager aside to ask her questions. Once again it has never occurred to have a co-ed team or a separate team for softball. Ashlynn decided to cut her loss with this one and contented herself with the fact that she could still play when it came around in gym.

Boxing: She didn't have too much interest beyond that it was a fighting style. She supposed she wouldn't mind learning a few moves but other than that it wasn't something that she wanted to spend too much time on.

Volleyball: There was a girls team along with a male one for this sport but they already had all positions and alternates filled and they had a camp session that she had missed out on.

Wrestling: She was a bit surprised when she heard about this one but it was for the males of the school and she didn't want to be the first of her sex to join it. Too much testosterone for her taste.

There weren't any others that were worth mentioning that she'd want to join and the ones that she found herself interested in ,well, it was hard to find something would be okay with her missing meetings because she worked most days after school. Once she stopped to really think about it; Ashlynn realized that whatever time she had after school was taken over by work, spending time with Birdy and Dolly, Ran, and with Tsuna and his growing family. She had no doubts that the time with Tsuna and the boys would be gradually become more and more of a commitment.

"It's a good thing then that I didn't really go in and join any clubs..It would have been a shame to join and then have to quit because I can't manage my time. And I know that I really don't have all that much...Was it a full year when Tsuna fights Mukuro...?' Ashlynn sighed. It was the right decision considering her circumstances. But she did need to train but working a team up from scratch at the same time would tire her out when she could be focusing more on her own progress. The only way a team would benefit her was if they were already at a manageable level and could be brought up to speed fast enough.

She knew that Reborn was going to have Tsuna join her in the mornings and she really would enjoy the company. She would eventually invite the other boys when the were more comfortable with her being around. She wondered if Reborn would give any advice of what kind of weapon she should use and maybe give her some instruction on how to use it properly.

Ashlynn opened the sliding door of her homeroom class and paused at the irritable atmosphere and quietly shut the door behind her and made a beeline fore her and Ran's desks. She quickly and easily found Ran waiting for her hopping on the soles of her feet and when the other girl noticed her Ran motioned happily to a high sugar and energy drink in her hand as if she was advertising for a commercial.

"I'm so hyper this morning!" Ran cried ecstatically with a goofy grin.

Ashlynn set down her bag and stared at her only friend in high school for a moment before glancing at the energy drink and then back to her friend with a growing smile. "But it's not even opened yet, sweetie. Did you have one before this one?" She pointed out for the girl who immediately looked down with wide eyes and found that, yes, the drink hadn't been opened yet.

"Whoa~ Am I like, hyper off of some kind of atmosphere...? I didn't have one earlier this morning...Well, bottom's up!" Ran wondered before shrugging and opened the can and chugged down its contents, much to the class's chagrin. If she was hyper and hyper before she opened the damn thing then Ran plus lots of sugar was going to be doubly annoying.

"So what did you do when you got home yesterday? I ended up cleaning out the dark recesses of the abyss which just so happens to be my closet. Auntie has been nagging for awhile for me to finally get around to doing it". Ran asked tossing the now empty can in the nearest trash can.

Ashlynn huffed. "I had to literally force my paper from Birdy's (My Landlady's daughter, Ran. Not an actual bird. Birdy is her nickname.) She kept reading over my shoulder when I was working on it and was criticizing my 'lack of creative ability and focus'. And whenever I left the room I would come back and find her erasing parts and adding new pieces in. It's kinda sad that a first year in primary is more concerned over the quality of writing than I am."

"Oh no~ I forgot that was due today!" Ran whined just remembering the particular assignment. She slumped into her seat. "Hey Ashlynn? Did you finish it? please say that you didn't? Tell me that the little bird took it while you weren't looking and decided to make more revisions and you can't turn it in today~."

Ashlynn shook her head. "Nope, I finished mine and I do have it with me. Sorry Ran, maybe someone else in class decided to be lazy and not do it. All you really had to do was write ten pages worth of anything you felt like. The Teach hardly cares for homework assignments and you'll get a passing grade so long as you have something written down. You might have just enough time to scribble something down before his class starts."

Ashlynn snickered as Ran's eyes widened comically before grabbing for her notebook and start writing whatever first came to mind. It was true though, Ashlynn mused; their literature teacher only really cared to check notes, quizzes/tests, and exams. Anything else could have all answers wrong and he'd still give the person a passing grade on the assignment.

"I guess," Ran pulled a loose hair behind her ear. "I could make a quick one shot story...and my handwriting isn't really tiny like some people."

"My handwriting isn't small."

Ran smirked. "Yes it is Ashlynn. You need a magnifying glass to be able to read your writing."

"Get to work on your paper, Ran."

"Fine, fine. What are you doing after school? If you have time we could go to my place again. I want to challenge you to another round of Tekken tournament."

Ashlynn closed her eyes mentally checking through her schedule of her work days and hours. "Not today. I'm working after school until eleven. I have a break at seven so if you want we could go on a food run before I have to get back to work."

"Or instead of going with her; you could allow me to take you out." A boy behind them placed an arm on Ashlynn's shoulder which she shrugged off before looking to the person who had touched her. A tall, lanky male with the standard Japanese complexion with short dark hair and black eyes.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Ashlynn asked. Ran crossed her arms over her chest and looked away; Ran didn't get along very well with anyone else in their class. Or any of the other classes for that matter. Something was off around here. She didn't like it.

"My apologies." The boy said bowing his head, "My name is Hiroto Tenma and obviously I'm in your class."

"I see…"Ashlynn trailed off, this guy was invading her personal space bubble.

"So will you go out with me tonight? I'll pick you up after your shift is done at…sorry, where is it that you work?"

'What?' Ashlynn sat down in her seat before answering, "Thank you, but I'd rather not. I don't know you very well and I think that it would be pretty awkward."

"Ha-ha are you just saying that because of your friend here? Then how about another time so we can get to know each other? We could play some games at my place if you'd like? From your earlier conversation, you seem to like those. I know a few that you may like to play." Tenma asked leaning his face forward a little too close to hers.

Ashlynn opened her mouth to decline again before the school bells rang and the teacher walked into the classroom.

'Thank goodness, saved by the bells. Thank you~' Ashlynn sighed thankful. Tenma frowned but returned to his desk, two rows right behind her and Ran.

"Alright everyone to your seats please." The man announced rummaging through his desk in the front.

The class sat down before the class captain rose and said aloud, "Rise!" The students all rose from their seats. "Salute!" The students bowed before returning to their seats.

"Alright class I know that there has been a lot of talk lately on the news about Giant red jellyfish. This is not the time for such talk, now we are…" The Sensei droned on in a monotone voice. Ashlynn was sitting up listening to the lecture when a wad of paper landed on her desk. Ran looked over for a moment before she sighed and began to doodle on her notes.

Ashlynn looked up, the teacher wasn't really paying attention, if anything this guy liked to hear himself talk out loud. She looked down and unfolded the paper.

'I'm not really sure, but have I seen you somewhere before?' It said. Ashlynn frowned before glancing behind her shoulder. And lo and behold, Tenma was smiling at her, and gave a little wave. Ashlynn looked back to the note in her hand before smiling and writing down a reply. Ran looked over again to see what was written and smiled too when she read the response.

'I just moved here, but perhaps you have. That's why I don't go there anymore.' Ashlynn looked back up to the teacher in the front who looked to still be reciting a monologue. She tossed the folded paper behind her back.

A few minutes later it was passed back to her desk.

'What sign were you born under?' Ashlynn sighed. This was really cheesy, not to mention cliche. And really creepy. He probably thought that she was just being witty and not serious about turning him down.

'I'm not interested. Please stop.' Ashlynn re-folded the page and tossed it over her shoulder once again.

And the note came flying right back to her.

'Are you taking applications for a boyfriend?' Okay this was going beyond uncomfortable now. She wasn't even going to reply to this one. If she didn't respond then maybe he'd get the hint and back off. Ashlynn looked up and found that the homeroom was about over and the teacher had just finished his speech.

"Alright, the rest of this hour is yours, Have a nice day." He announced before exiting the room.

'Nooooo! Sensei! Please come back! Don't end the class too early!' Ashlynn silently begged. She buried her head in her arms. She could practically sense Tenma coming back towards her seat. The creeper was probably smiling too.

"So are you?" He asked.

"Am I what?" Ashlynn picked her head up.

"Accepting applications?"

"No. I'm not looking for that kind of relationship at the moment. Sorry, but I would appreciate it if you would stop your advances. "Ashlynn sighed.

"Well, I would still like to become friends with you, how about we hang out sometime while you're not working? Tomorrow is Saturday and there is no more cram school I could—"

"Hey," Ran interrupted, "she said no Tenma. So leave me and Ashlynn alone."

"I don't believe I was speaking to you Hiraoka-san. Besides does she even know about you? You aren't making passes yourself are you? Because you are female you could actually get away with most of it. Even now you are addressing her with great familiarity." Hiroto remarked coldly.

Ran stood up quickly, her chair knocked over onto the ground. She picked up her things shoved them into her schoolbag and rushed out of the classroom. Ashlynn watched a little shocked by the display. The whole classroom had been silent before; watching the exchange now erupted into whispers. Ashlynn placed her things in her bag as well before standing up. Hiroto stepped in her way before she could get out of the row of desks she was in.

"So, where was the place you work at?" He smiled good-naturedly.

Ashlynn huffed trying to get past him but the boy wouldn't budge to let her pass by him to go after Ran. Well if this asshole wasn't going to move it. She stepped on her chair and jumped over her and Ran's desks and rushed out the door and down the hallway. She needed to find Ran and Find out what the hell was going on. At first, she was pretty sure that the other teens didn't like Ran because she was obviously an Otaku and Japan as a whole don't take to kindly at all to the sub-culture of nerds and geeks.

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><p>"Hey…I...Found you." Ashlynn steadied her breathing; with her hands on her knees trying to regain her breath. After checking the roof, the library and all of the club rooms and bathrooms, the janitor's closets... Ashlynn had even looked in the nurses' office, the auditorium, the gym and locker rooms. It wasn't until she spotted the bushes next to the gym's shed and decided 'What the hell, it's worth a try'. She made her way into the jungle-like vegetation growth staying close to the wall, where she found Ran lying on the ground with her bag being used as a pillow. When she approached Ran looked up in surprise before looking down at her hands in shame.<p>

"I'm sorry I rushed out like that." She said twiddling her fingers her voice very small. A really big difference from the bouncing energy she had earlier.

"Is this the reason why the school hardly tolerates you?" Ashlynn dropped her bag and leaned against the brick wall of the school shed. Ran picked herself up from the ground and turned away from Ashlynn.

"So you noticed...yeah, it's the main reason really. They barely tolerate me because well …I…I'm.. a lesbian, Ashlynn. I'm not into guys at all, and they shun me for that. The other reason is because I'm too proud of liking anime and manga. And that, to them is unacceptable…" Ran turned around to face her, "You know your way around the school very well now, so, you really don't need me. So if you don't want to be friends with me anymore I'd totally understand that and~~"

Ashlynn darted forward and brought the other girl into a hug. Ran tensed for a moment not really sure what to do, but was immensely glad that her friendship wasn't being rejected. She couldn't help herself as tears began to gather in her eyes, Ran latched onto the other girls embrace and started to shake, tears started to stream down her face.

Ashlynn brought a hand up and began to stroke the crying girls' hair. Ran clung tighter in fear that she would push her away.

"Your sexuality does not bother me Ran. I may not like the same sex in that manner, but you are my first and best friend here in Namimori, In all of Japan. And I'm not going to leave you because of that nor am I going to shun you for what you like. It doesn't matter to me what anybody else thinks." Ashlynn said soothingly and lowered the two of them to sit on the ground. Her back was leaning on the wall behind her again.

"Thank you!" Ran sobbed into Ashlynn's shirt, "Ashlynn...Thank you…"

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><p>It took a while but Ashlynn managed to get Ran to calm down as the smaller girl lay in Ashlynn's arms as Ashlynn leaned against the wall of the shed. By that time the bell had rang for lunch break, since neither of the two wanted to go back to return to their class so they decided to eat their lunches where they sat. Afterward both snuck out of the campus (too easily) and headed for Ashlynn's apartment where Ran ended falling asleep on Ashlynn's bed when they had worked on the other assignments they had due later in the week.<p>

Ashlynn allowed Ran to sleep as she went to clean up and start a load of laundry on the balcony. It was around three when Ran woke up yawning and apologizing for taking up the bed. A few hugs later and promises that they were still friends; Ran left the apartment complex towards home to go and explain to her Aunt why she had ditched more than half of the school day.

A few hours after that Ashlynn locked her door on her way out to work; her shift at Fukano's was to start in fifteen minutes. She felt nothing out of the ordinary but she could not shake off the feeling of being watched from afar. And after today with Tenma she was a little bit concerned. Had he followed her when she went to find Ran and followed them to her apartment?

'No...I'm probably thinking too much about it...who knows it could be Reborn or someone mafia related...'

She found that she would rather deal with someone from the mafia even with her meager skills as they were instead of facing a possible creep like Tenma Hiroto.

"Hey Ashlynn! Wait a minute!"

Ashlynn sighed in relief when she realized it had only been Yamamoto. Thank goodness, if it had been Tenma she wasn't sure what her instincts would have her do. Fight or flight? Or perhaps a bit of both: Hit the guy where it hurts then run the hell away going in zig zags to through off any pursuer before making it to her actual destination.

But this was Yamamoto right now.

...Was he blushing...?

"Don't get to see you very often Ashlynn. I was just talking to the kid (Reborn), and he saw you walk by over here and he told me that a pretty young lady shouldn't walk all by herself...so...ha ha, where are you going?" The boy asked.

Ashlynn figured, since she wasn't nearly stupid enough to think that the red over the boys' cheeks were from a fever (though it really wouldn't stop her from feigning ignorance and teasing...perhaps another time...), that the reason he was probably blushing because he was not yet used to calling her name without a suffix attached to it...it was either that or he probably either agreed when Reborn called her pretty or he actually thought of calling that himself...

She would think about it later as it was not relevant to the current conversation. Reborn sent the baseball player to walk with her. Ashlynn found that she wasn't too surprised at the thought that Reborn may have known what had happened at school today. Since he had little hideaways at Namimori Jr, then no doubt he had some at Namimori high as well.

'Good to know that he watches over sometimes. It's a very comforting thought.' Ashlynn gave a small smile for the boy next to her and they began walking. "I work at Fukano's bakery in town during most of the week after school, or really whenever Boss Lady needs me to come in to help."

"Ha-ha, is that right? I didn't know that you were working! That's very cool! And at a bakery too, I bet you get to bring sweet things home a lot." He laughed happily and reached over to ruffle her hair playfully. Ashlynn laughed at the gesture, it was kind of like what Flaithri would be with her.

Flaithri…Norene...Mom, Dad.

Ashlynn frowned, what was her family doing? Were they okay? If they died would they be brought to this world as well? She wouldn't wish for it, which would mean that they would die first. And with her experience coming here it had been rather painful. She wouldn't wish that for anyone.

"Something wrong?" Yamamoto patted her shoulder.

"No, I'm fine, just some memories, that's all. Nothing to be concerned about." Ashlynn replied. She could remember them, she had pictures and videos of them. She would be fine. She had another chance of life while it had ended in another world. She would become stronger. She was going to need to now she was involved in the mafia.

"Alright, if you say so. I'll be there if you want to talk about it."

"Thanks, Yamamoto. Really." Ashlynn knew that she had to be strong. There was no place in the mafia for any weaknesses because they'd be used against her and the people she cared about. There was just so much to work on.

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><p>Tsuna lay slumped next to the supports of his bed in exhaustion. Reborn had upped his game when Tsuna came home with another low score on his latest math test. Tsuna hadn't even mentioned his score to anyone and had hid the page at the bottom of his bag. So how exactly did his so called tutor know about his failure?<p>

The evil baby had set up hideouts in all of the classrooms that's how. And for some reason he was the only one (save for Gokudera who sometimes managed to find one or two when he was actively looking for the hitman for advice for being a good right hand man) that knew what he was doing. He was so very lucky that the prefect did not know (or showed that he cared. It was hard to tell) of these little hideaways that Reborn set up on the tonfa wielding boys' territory.

They would be bitten to death without remorse!

"Ts u-kun?" Nana poked her head through the bedroom door. "Can you go pick some things up from the store for me?"

Tsuna groaned and lifted his head from the flooring and noticed that once again the damages to his room had been repaired before Maman had came up to check on him. He was so tired for the latest torture that Reborn came up with. He didn't want to move from his spot let alone leave the house.

Tsuna began to whine. "Ah? Mo~m, I don'-"

And found himself facing the floor again when Reborn jumped onto his head and smiled (though Tsuna couldn't see it)sweetly for the woman. "Of course. Tsuna would absolutely love to go to the store for you Maman."

"Thank you. I have money and a list on the counter, Ts u-kun." Maman smiled happily before she went back downstairs.

Reborn adjusted the fedora on his head as he stepped off of his students' skull. "You should have Ashlynn accompany you on your errand. You don't see her very often because she's in high school and she works most days after school. As the Boss you should know what your subordinates are doing with their time."

"She's not my subordinate! And that is the same for Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun! They shouldn't have to even worry about the mafia! I don't want to be in the mafia let alone the Boss for a family involved in the mafia!" Tsuna yelled at the baby.

"Then you will take away any hopes that Ashlynn could have for a family? The dreams that Gokudera has of being accepted by a family? Of Yamamoto having real friends that care about him instead of only his ability to play baseball?"

"E-eh...? What do you mean, Reborn?"

"Yamamoto has great potential waiting to be worked with and with his rather happy disposition it would make things easier in making alliances with families or negotiations where he might be able to resolve conflict without inflicting any bloodshed.

Gokudera was born into a family with connections to the mafia (it has always been a part of his life from the moment he was born) and has gone years with many families refusing him into their ranks. You were the first to accept him, Tsuna. You were the first to give him something to truly fight for.

And Ashlynn...when I told her to join your family she had a rather hopeful look on face. She's an orphan; she lives and fends for herself. Her records say that she as Fugue: Ashlynn experienced some kind of trauma and her mind adapted a new identity to fit a new environment. So either she's never known a family before or something happened to them; I believe it to be the latter; remember when she shot herself with the dying will bullet and she told Maman to think of what she says in case that is the last thing she'd ever say to you? Perhaps she got into an argument with her family and regrets it. She seems to want a chance to make up for it with another family."

Tsuna looked down at his hands silently. He didn't know that. Actually he didn't really know anything about Ashlynn other than that she was a high school first year, could run very fast, and was really nice to him. It would be nice to get to know her and be better friends, with her along with Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto; But he wanted that friendship away from the whole crazy mafia business that came with Reborn. It wasn't fair to them. They were being pulled into this mess because of him and though Tsuna knew he couldn't do anything about Gokudera-kun's involvement, they were all in more danger because of him. Because he was chosen to be the next Boss. Something he didn't want to be.

Tsuna did not like the thought of his new friends in danger.

"Fnn, it's reassuring to know that you think of their safety but you have to take their own stories and decisions into account, Tsuna. You should have a little more faith that they can make decisions by themselves. Gokudera is a given, but Yamamoto and Ashlynn could have refused to go through with the entrance test. Not all factions in the mafia are that cruel to force recruitment." Reborn gave his foolish student a pointed stare before he left the room.

'Though your training had only started recently, there are some subtle differences from the person you were before. You have the makings of a great Boss and I will push you as hard as it takes for you to become it. Though it has yet to be seen if it is a good thing that you're not even the littlest bit ambitious. We'll have to see where your training takes you in the future...Fnnn, maybe I should bring out the land mines for the next 'tutoring' session or perhaps using a paintball gun...being hit with those without armor should be great motivation to get the loser to work harder...'

Unaware of the hitman's thoughts Tsuna sighed but did end up taking the list, money, and another piece of paper that had an address written on it. It wasn't too far out of the way so it wouldn't really hurt to ask and maybe he could ask what she thought of the mafia...

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><p>"Ah, so that's how it happened." Ashlynn remarked softly as she and Tsuna were walking back to the Sawada household with a canvas bag each holding the food stuffs that Nana had written on the list Tsuna had brought along with him. He had finished his little tale of what happened when he first met Reborn.<p>

It had been a bit of a surprise to see him knocking on the other side of the front door (she had no doubts that Reborn had told him where she lived). And then he had asked her to go shopping with him. Ashlynn had given him a once over and teasingly asked if he needed knew clothes and wanted a female perspective that wasn't his mother's. Funnily enough the boy turned red in embarrassment and managed to explain that his mother had sent him on an errand and Reborn said to see what she was up to.

Ashlynn appreciated that Reborn had thought of her. It was true even with the entrance test she hardly got to see Tsuna or Yamamoto and Gokudera because she was at a higher school level and she had a job. So even though Tsuna was on an errand for his mother Ashlynn was more than happy to spend time with him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you Ashlynn-san. You really didn't have to go with me though; you were probably busy when I came by." Tsuna said switching the bag from one hand to the other.

"It was no problem. And I remember telling you that you can drop the suffix from my name. Is it alright if I just call you Tsuna without the suffix? Or is that too forward of me? In the U.S. we don't use them at the end of people's names." Ashlynn said with a smile

"Eh? O-oh, that's fine... Jeez it's really humid today. I'm starting to get a bit thirsty." Tsuna wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"You're right, though it hasn't rained in a while to make it this humid." Ashlynn said smiling at the change of subject. She looked down the road and saw a person riding on a bike coming in their direction. Ashlynn and Tsuna stopped when the person stopped beside them.

'Eh? A mommy bike…with goggles? She has a tattoo as well.' Tsuna openly stared as the woman took of her helmet, her long pink locks cascaded down her back. 'Wow, she's really pretty. Is she half-Japanese or something...?'

'Well, well, freelance assassin: Bianchi Gokudera. Fancy seeing you here today.' Ashlynn tilted her head to the side staring at the very familiar scorpion tattoo on the other woman's arm.

The woman tossed a soda with a blue logo to Ashlynn and a purple one to Tsuna, "Here, please have these. It's very hot out, wouldn't want you to become dehydrated." The woman smiled at the two before placing the helmet in the basket of her bike then rode away. Ashlynn looked at the can in her hands. Nothing seemed to be wrong with hers. Maybe Bianchi didn't know that Tsuna was starting to, although unwillingly, gather guardians to his side. So perhaps Bianchi thought that she was an innocent bystander with no mafia connection.

Unlike Ashlynn, Tsuna completely missed catching the soda; and the can crashed into his face before dropping to the ground open and fizzing everywhere.

'Man, I looked like a total loser right there in front that lady and Ashlynn.' Tsuna bent down and reached for the can before shrieking and pulling his hand back to his chest. Purple fumes were rising from the now melted through can. Above them a crow squawked, breathing in the fumes before crashing to its death at the teens' feet.

"GAH! What is this?" Tsuna cried backing away from the bird's corpse on the ground.

"Hmm, looks to be poison or acid from that soda. Though mine hasn't done anything yet." Ashlynn shook the soda can before spraying it into a nearby garbage can. She shook her head, nothing had happened. Well that was a waste. So maybe she had been right about Bianchi not knowing of her involvement. That or Bianchi had learned the time-delay poison cooking technique.

"C-come on! We need to tell Reborn!" Tsuna cried running down the road to his home with Ashlynn following closely behind.

* * *

><p>Tsuna burst into his bedroom.<p>

"Reborn! We've got trouble-! Outside! Just right now! There was a soda! A-and the bird! And Ashlynn was there and this lady—NGYAAA!"

"Hmm?" Reborn turned to face Tsuna who was standing next to him and Ashlynn who just came in through the door. He had beetles crawling all over his face. The beetles scattered away from Tsuna's loudness and out of the bedroom window.

"Do you have any idea how creepy that is! (Do you emit tree sap or something?)" Tsuna yelled.

"Fool, these are my summer minions. They collect information and then they report it directly to me. Tsuna grab the box from that top shelf." Reborn pointed to the shelf on the other side of the room.

"Eh, does that mean that you can speak bug?" Tsuna asked still a bit freaked out but still went to pick up the said box. He wondered where it came from since he never noticed it in his room before. Strange.

"I know many languages, and amongst those is the language of insects. Thanks to them I was able to grab hold of some very important information: Bianchi is in town." Reborn sat down at the low table in the room. Tsuna placed the box in front of the baby hitman and sat down.

"Bianchi? Who's that?"

"A former fellow hitman that I have worked with. Another piece of information that I have gathered is that last week, May eleventh was your birthday, Ashlynn and we missed it. This is for you." Reborn motioned to the box on the table. Tsuna turned his head too fast that his neck made an audible crack.

"Hiiiie! I didn't know it was your birthday recently! Why didn't you say anything?" Tsuna asked the Ashlynn who brought the box closer to her. It would have been nice if he had known. Some friend he was; not knowing the other person's birthday. Come to think of it...He didn't even know when Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto's birthday was. Man he was such a loser.

"Well, a lot of things have happened in the past month. I needed to make sure I had everything settled before I even thought about celebrating. Though I did spend time with Dolly and Birdy, and a friend from school came over as well." Ashlynn said as she carefully undid the wrapping. The paper was a pretty light blue and had a silver ribbon on top.

"You didn't get her anything weird, did you?" Tsuna covered his mouth whispering to the baby hitman. He wondered what was with the weird names that Ashlynn had mentioned. Dolly and Birdy? Were those nicknames?

"Fnn, of course not. I had it commissioned from the Vongola family's weapon armory. The Ninth thought it was a good idea and he was happy that you were able to acquire a female perspective in your family. So he helped design these." Reborn looked to Ashlynn to gauge her expression and smirked when her face lit up into a big smile. It seemed that he had been right in his choosing according to the many bracelets that Ashlynn already wore on her wrists whenever she was in and out of school. And it wasn't all there was to the jewelry in the girls hands..

"Hiiiie! It's mafia related again!" Tsuna foisted his hands in his lap.

"Thank you very much Reborn. And will you send my thanks to this 'Ninth'?"

Tsuna peered over and sighed in relief when Ashlynn didn't pull out some kind of bomb or weapon but two transparent green beaded bracelets with lighter piece in the middle along with another four rings to fit around the girl's wrists. There was also a small note that Ashlynn quickly read before setting down on the table.

Ashlynn smiled at the new bracelets that would soon join the many that adorned her wrists. She easily recognized the beads to be jade since her mother had adored the gem and the lightest piece was Fluorite which she recognized from her Grandma Aine who made sure that Ashlynn knew the meanings and their protections of many gemstones.

Jade for peace, good luck, prosperity, deep wisdom, and a symbol of calm and serenity, to name a few of the gem's meanings. It is a stone of balance and healing, protection from fear-based feelings, and assists in clear reasoning. She knew from Grandma Aine that if a person could put a piece of jade underneath their pillow at night to release negative feelings during dreaming.

It took a few moments for her to remember some of the meanings for Fluorite: The increase in one's concentration and heightening of intuition, can help maintain an unbiased viewpoint when decisions need to be made. Good for accessing universal energies that activate all that is good for one's body, fosters objectivity, truth, aura cleansing, and consciousness while negating disorganization, disruptive behavior, desperation, and depression.

What was surprising to her was the transparency of the little gem beads. Ashlynn knew for a fact that jade with this kind of transparency was rarely ever seen and was considered rather rare. It was solid but it looked as if the gems glowed with their own life. A good amount of money had to have been invested into them. She looked towards Reborn and with a nod to go ahead, Ashlynn stood like the note instructed and held the bracelets by the piece of fluorite and raised her arms so that they level with her head then brought them down in a fast swinging motion back to her sides.

Tsuna squealed in surprise as the bracelets had glowed a dark green and had transformed into two sharp circular blades and the lighter bead had turned into a handle with white wrappings that held the blades.

Ashlynn adjusted to the new weight and lifted up one of the blades to inspect how the light reflected off of the metal. Shiny. It reminded her of the video game that was based of the Chinese tale: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms; Dynasty Warriors (namely the fourth one since by the sixth installment the creators gave her a fairy look and switched her weapon for a bow and quiver) where one of the characters; the tomboy warrior princess Sun Shang Xiang wielded twin chakrams in battle. Ashlynn's new weapons looked like the first level that the character was equipped with.

Ashlynn remembered that Yamamoto would be getting a weapon that would 'magically' transform into a katana when he swung it over a specific speed. Of course she knew that it had everything to do with the flame attributes that this world used,

She grinned again, these felt right in her hands as if they were meant to be in her possession. "This is amazing! How did they engineer it between the two modes? ha ha, it's like magic!"

"Eh! She actually likes it!" Tsuna fell backwards in shock. Weren't girls supposed to like girly things, like clothes, makeup and shopping for stuff like that?

"I'll be teaching you how to properly use them starting this coming Monday." Reborn told the girl. It was good that she liked the weapons gifted to her. It wasn't common that someone would use chakrams in battle (The last one to do so was one of the Eighth Boss' guardians) so it would give the family an edge against other families during conflict.

Ashlynn thanked the hitman and found after thinking of how to return the blades back to the bracelets like before the chakrams did so of its own accord to her will. Very handy. She slipped them on and the beads settled snugly against her wrists.

Tsuna sighed. "...I can't believe that you actually like something like that. Reborn! Couldn't you have gotten her something normal? Like a-"

He was cut off by the doorbell ringing and he poked his head the door to call for Mama but after no answer he went downstairs to see who it was with Ashlynn following after him down the steps towards the door.

"Ding Dong!...Italian pizza delivery!" The doorbell rang a few times.

Tsuna left the room and started downstairs, Ashlynn frowned, pressed the buttons and the metal retracted back into the handles. She followed Tsuna down the steps.

"Pizza? Mom are you home?" He called out, no answer. He opened the door to tell the delivery person they got the wrong house. On the other side was the woman from earlier, now wearing a visor and holding a pizza box with a scorpion printed on the top.

"Thanks for waiting, a delivery from Vongola pizza." She said before placing a gas mask over her face. She opened the pizza box and fumes began to leak from the opening. Ashlynn charged the rest of the way down the stairs and pulled Tsuna back into a hallway.

The box was knocked out of the woman's hands by a bullet from Reborn. The corpses of three birds fell from the sky from breathing in the toxic smoke and landed on top of the fuming box of toxins.

'Well,' Ashlynn thought dryly. 'That really isn't going to be very good for the ozone layer.'

"Ciaossu, Bianchi." The hitman greeted.

"Reborn…" Bianchi removed the mask from her face and dropped on her knees next to Reborn. "I have come to take you back Reborn, let's do another big mission together."

Tsuna was gagging trying to breathe in clear air, 'That girl is Bianchi? And why am I on the verge of being murdered? If Ashlynn hadn't pulled me out of the way I would have died right there. And she knows Reborn? What is going here?'

"A peaceful place does not suit you Reborn," Bianchi continued," The place where you belong is the dark world where it is the most dangerous and thrilling. You belong by my side as my partner, my comrade."

"I have told you, Bianchi. I already have a job here. To train and raise Tsuna to become the next Vongola family boss and Godfather. So I can't go with you." Reborn told Bianchi.

"…Poor…Poor sweet Reborn…Unless the Tenth heir dies due to an accident or something, Reborn is stuck here and can't be free from duty. How tragic for you to be forced into this my love." Bianchi wiped the tears streaming from her eyes. "I'll go home for now when the Tenth is mur...When the Tenth is dead, I shall come to bring you back with again. Until then sweet Reborn." Bianchi turned and walked out of the doorway.

"What the heck are you saying! Is that why you were trying to kill me? The way you think is totally weird, lady! Reborn! What's up with that woman?" Tsuna cried.

Reborn ascended the stairs back to Tsuna's room as he explained, "She is Bianchi, a freelance hitman called the Poison Scorpion. Her special skill is to feed people her poison cooking."

"Augh! Another weird one! What is wrong with your world? There are crazy people everywhere! And they're all targeting me!" Tsuna slapped a hand to his forehead. He then pointed a finger at Reborn, "..But it seems that she favors you a lot. Can't you convince her to leave me alone?"

"Fnn, because Bianchi is in love with me. We went out at some point too."

"W…went out? So she was... your girlfriend…? But...you..you're...and she...What?" Tsuna asked.

"I'm very popular with women. Bianchi was my lover. My fourth one to be exact." Reborn held up four little fingers. Ashlynn giggled, of course Reborn was popular with women, before and after he became an Arcobaleno.

"Do you even know the meaning of the words you've just said?" Tsuna yelled," Any way! Do something about her! She is targeting my life! I could be killed!"

"Tsuna…Nothing lasts forever, and humans are creatures that will die one day." Reborn philosophized sipping from a teacup.

"Don't be enlightened all of a sudden!" Tsuna blurted out and deflated when Ashlynn laughed again. "Ashlynn that's not funny!"

"By the way Tsuna, starting tomorrow morning you will be joining Ashlynn's runs in the mornings." Reborn announced before taking another sip.

"What? But Reborn!"

* * *

><p>"Good morning Tsuna, Reborn." Ashlynn nodded to the two males at her door the next morning. It was five thirty in the morning, she and Reborn were fully awake but Tsuna was still drowsy and wiping the little boogers from his eyes. Ashlynn allowed them into her home to let Tsuna drop off his school bag and his uniform he had yet to change into on the low table in her newly furnished living room.<p>

"Ciaossu Ashlynn." Reborn said.

"Because today is your first morning we won't go the entire circuit. We are going to start with stretching here in the courtyard, and then we are going to sprint to the canals. When we get there we'll stretch some more to cool down, then we'll be jogging up and down the stairs to the canals until your legs feel like jello." Ashlynn said with a sugary smile as she led them to the little courtyard between the two apartment buildings.

"That much! And you do this every day!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Hush, Tsuna. People are still asleep here you know. Use your inside voice (yes, even though we are outside. People sleep at this time. No Tsuna, you can't go back to sleep otherwise you'll be late for school later). Yes I do this every morning and I do this before dinner as well when I can. But usually after using the stairs at the canal I follow that up with yoga before sprinting back here and stretching again and doing strength exercises.

I am going to warn you now, Tsuna. The first few days are going to be rough and you are going to want to give up (I can tell you are ready to give up now and we haven't even started yet) but you need to persevere. I promise you that you will not regret this Tsuna; though you may not see it at first there will be progress. Any questions or comments before we begin?"

"I'm Doooomed." The boy whined, 'First it's Reborn and his strange mafia world. And he convinced Ashlynn to join. Please don't let her be a Spartan like Reborn!' Tsuna silently begged.

The first thirty minutes were spent stretching out muscles that he didn't even know existed. He found that Ashlynn was pretty knowledgeable on the subject as she explained what each was for. Reborn would suggest others that she didn't cover as he sat on a nearby bench watching amused as Tsuna was eased into different stretches. He even chuckled when Ashlynn pushed him down into a splits. (It was so very painful!).

During this he learned that Ashlynn had been doing this for at least four years; she had been given permission to run with the track and field team where she had been like an honorary member back home. She had wanted to continue on another team but since Namimori high didn't have a team and Ashlynn just didn't have the time ( Ashlynn also explained that she probably didn't have the patience to train up a large group to her level. Many things could go wrong and she could be held back by the others that weren't in the same league as she was). But even without a team Ashlynn still continued and improved on her own regime.

Once Ashlynn was satisfied with their stretching (and a note to Tsuna for him to try them late on his own time), Ashlynn led the way sprinting towards the canals two miles away from the apartment complex that the older girl lived in. Reborn had hitched a ride again by tying a rope to Tsuna's waist while he (Reborn) stood on roller skates. Once they arrived Ashlynn handed him one of the water bottle she had brought along and instructed him to drink slowly with Reborn smacking him across the back of his head when he discarded the piece of advice.

They then cooled down again with more stretching and a few yoga poses to help his posture and settle his breathing. They weren't even halfway done and he was already beyond exhaustion! And he was supposed to do this almost twice a day? He doubted that he was going to make it.

Tsuna took a glance over at the set of stairs beside the one he was currently attempting to jog up and down. While he had finished ten rounds of running the stairs, tripping down and up them more than a few times, Ashlynn had already finished thirty with weights and Reborn riding atop of her head. Ashlynn looked up as she was starting another rep.

"Come on Tsuna!" She called, "Another ten before we do cool down stretches and some more yoga poses. Then we'll go back to my place to change then I'll walk with you to your school!"

Tsuna groaned in displeasure. All he wanted to do now was crawl home, eat, and then sleep the rest of the day away. He began once again up the steep steps on the side of the hill overlooking the canal.

"I'm not really sure that this is going to work with me!" He cried, slipping on another step on the way up.

"With that sort of attitude, of course you're not. Don't worry Tsuna," Ashlynn smiled, "It's only the first morning, and we'll see progress with you yet. I promise you that….Now back down those steps you have nine more rounds to finish!" That got another response of groaning from the male teen and a smirk from the baby on top of her head.

* * *

><p>"Good morning Tsuna-kun."<p>

"Ah? K-Kyoko-chan! Good morning" Tsuna greeted, he didn't realize that Kyoko lived in his neighborhood. He was happy from the fact that his crush was actually walking and speaking to him!

"Hmm? Is something wrong Tsuna-kun? You look very tense." Kyoko asked a bit concerned.

"No, just a little sore, I've been running a bit over the weekend, ha-ha." Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. Oh, he was a lot more than a little sore. Reborn had decided on the second day that they should do the full routine with twenty five pound weights to both arms and legs. Ashlynn had been a little reluctant because Tsuna had just started to do the regime, it had taken her almost two weeks to get used to it in the beginning. But then Reborn had convinced her over to his side of the argument that Tsuna needed to become stronger and he was not to be babied (Ashlynn had been younger than Tsuna when she started). Tsuna wasn't sure that Reborn understood the irony of his words.

"Today is the day the home economics class is going to make rice balls. I'm really excited!" Kyoko smiled sweetly.

'Bring Bring…'

Tsuna looked behind the two of them and saw the freelancer hitman Bianchi from the other day. She was riding her mommy bike straight towards them with a very frightening aura. Tsuna started to sweat a bit. This woman wanted to kill him to free Reborn from having to tutor him. Well, he didn't want Reborn to be his home teacher in the first place! How come no one understood that he didn't want to be a part of the mafia world?

"Those who interfere with another person's love life. Should die covered in poison." Bianchi tossed two cans of soda to the teens before riding off. Tsuna quickly batted the projectiles away with his schoolbag.

"Did you know her Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko asked.

"No, I have no idea who that lady is." Tsuna waved the question off with a nervous laugh. He wondered why he had an unsettling sensation in his stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

**"Don't do anything by half. If you love someone, love with all your soul. When you work, work your ass off. When you hate someone, hate them until it hurts."**

**-Henry Rollins**

* * *

><p>In life, one generally learns that not everyone will react the way one might expect.<p>

Ashlynn found learning this lesson with front row seats when she witnessed Ran; sweet, charming, and seemingly harmless, Ran, punch Tenma Hiroto in the face with a satisfying crunching sound whilst knocking the offending boy off balance. The incident had been met with varying degrees of shock from the other pupils including Ashlynn herself, though she was sure that she was the only one who felt the male had it coming to him for his taunting and lewd requests ( to Ashlynn) to hand feed him what she had made, and had the nerve to call her (Ashlynn) with no suffix attached to her name without her permission for him to do so.

Ashlynn found herself surprised mostly that Ran had reacted violently and also for making a move before she did. Though Ashlynn watched amused as Ran looked at her own fist in akin to wonder and it made Ashlynn wish that she had been able to take a video or a picture so she could frame the event.

Luckily their Home Ec. teacher had not seen the blow but the woman had seen Tenma sprawled on his back with his hands clasped to his nose with blood dripping though his fingers. It had only taken the voice of their educator to cause the room to explode into pandemonium of voices and people crowding around the fallen male trying to offer assistance.

Ran had immediately been sent to the Principal's office. She had somehow calmly gathered her things and her share of the rice balls that they had made between them and with a small wave farewell to Ashlynn as she exited the room.

Ashlynn sighed and took packaged her share of the rice balls and put them away in her bag and cleaned the workstation before stepping around the group still crowding around Tenma. She didn't have to worry for anyone following after her since it was the last class of the day so she immediately made her way off campus and in a zig zag like maneuver to her apartment to change out of her uniform before she went over to Tsuna's.

Ashlynn waved to Dolly when she hopped down the steps and went forward as the older woman motioned for her to come closer.

"Niamh." Dolly nodded using the nickname that Ashlynn had told them about from her childhood after Birdy had asked if she ever had one to go by. Her Grandma Aine had started calling her that after her first visit in Ireland. Meaning 'bright' in Gaelic and it was also the name of the daughter of the sea god in Irish legends who fell in love with a poet, Oisin, son of Fionn. Then her brother had started calling her that whenever he teased her.

"I going out of town at the end of next week. Can I count on you to watch Birdy while I am gone?"

"Ah, that's fine."

"..."

"..."

"Something happened today."

Ashlynn smiled as they walked out of the complex. "Ran punched a boy in our class in the face."

"The flirty one that doesn't know the meaning of personal space?"

"That's the one."

"Ah. She got in trouble."

"Yeah, it was right when we finished in Home Ec today. Sensei didn't see her hit him but he was on the ground holding his face and Ran was still looking at her fist in shock."

"...Something else has happened. Not today but it happened. Is this all you will tell me?"

"For now, yes. That's all Dolly. I know where to find you if I need you."

Dolly harrumphed but gave a small grin and sent Ashlynn on her way as she went on to pick Birdy up from Elementary school while Ashlynn walked on to Tsuna's. She felt a little bad about not telling Dolly her inevitable involvement in the mafia and though Ashlynn was confident that Dolly could successfully take care of herself and Birdy (Dolly plus a shotgun was terrifying); Ashlynn couldn't squash the feeling of worry. So, for now at least they would be kept in the dark on the matter until she could find a way to gently break the news to them and still have them safe from harm.

With those thoughts she never noticed that she had already arrived and had been standing in front of the boys door staring blankly ahead of her for a few minutes. She pressed her finger to the doorbell and waited to be let inside the house. Ashlynn smiled when Sawada Nana opened the door and allowed her entry.

"Ashlynn-chan! It's nice to see you again dear! Come on inside, come inside!" Nana smiled happily. "I haven't seen you in a while. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"

"If it's not too much trouble for you Sawada-san. I'm sorry that I didn't call ahead and I didn't bring anything with me."

"No trouble at all! Really! Everyone is upstairs right now, why don't you go and join them?" Nana waved her hand. 'Such a polite girl! And she's very cute too! Ever since Reborn has started his tutoring, Tsu-kun has been having an easier time making friends. I'm so happy!'

Ashlynn smiled to the friendly Sawada matriarch before going on ahead climbing the stairs to the second story. She paused when she heard Tsuna screech and decided to listen in to find who was there.

"I told you already I don't want any involvement with the mafia! And I don't want to become a mob Boss, So you can go ahead and take Reborn with you! Just leave and don't ever come back!"

'Ouch.' Ashlynn frowned. '..They may be a little...eccentric...but its not very nice to yell that they leave. Now, there's no laughing or any placating words from Yamamoto, no sounds of Gokudera being ill...so it's probably just Tsuna, Reborn, Bianchi inside...'

Ashlynn lifted one hand to turn the knob and the other to knock on the wood as she opened the door and peeked her head in. "Knock knock, can I come in?"

Ashlynn fully opened the door and saw Bianchi with her back turned to her as she looked at Tsuna. She didn't seem to take offense at Tsuna's earlier words and spoke as if she never heard him screech his protests.

"I shall be tutoring you in home economics and art. I will hold a class session today so I will be in the kitchen preparing for your tort- I meant to say tutoring, yes tutoring. With mine and Reborn's help you will have a solid education when you take over the family." Bianchi turned towards the door to leave but paused when she saw Ashlynn standing next to the now open door. "...I've seen you before with Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

Reborn smirked. "Bianchi this is one of the promising members of Tsuna's family, Meagher Ashlynn. Ashlynn you remember Gokudera Bianchi when she was here earlier this week? She is known in the mafia as the Poison Scorpion."

"Meagher Ashlynn. You're name is derived from 'Aisling' which means 'dream' or vision' in Gaelic, isn't it? Opposed to the English 'ash-lyn' which is a combination of Ashley and the name suffix lyn. Am I correct?"

Tsuna was shocked when Ashlynn nodded with a pleased nod. "How- how did you know that?"

Bianchi gave Ashlynn a calculating glance as she answered the question. "It is mere deduction; her surname, Meagher, is Gaelic, an old language of Ireland, and it means 'Majestic Fire'. Meagher Ashlynn, you may join in on Tsunayoshi's lessons if you wish."

"That is acceptable, Bianchi." Reborn stood from his seat on the bed. "But today she will be outside with me learning to wield her weapons in combat.

"Ah. Very well then. Tsunayoshi, I shall call for you when preparations have been made." Bianchi flipped her hair over her shoulder and left for the kitchen.

Tsuna took the moment to whine. "Reborn! I don't want her to be here! Kick her out, please! At this rate I am going to be killed for sure!"

Reborn ignored the boys pleading and left the room with Ashlynn following his lead. "Ashlynn, we shall be conducting our class in the back yard. I trust that you brought the chakrams along with you today?"

Ashlynn wiggled her wrists that held the days many bracelets and the concealed weapon bracelets that she had taken to wearing (The chakram bracelets, she hid the small sharp rings in her bag while not in use) every day and had made time at least twice a day to fiddle around with, ie, trying to recreate how Sun Shang Xiang moved when attacking with chakrams. She believed that she made a bit of progress on her own.

She was glad that they were in the form of jewelry otherwise she would have had to find some way to conceal the blades on her person without anyone knowing that she had them on her person since it would give her an element of surprise in case she ever got into a scuffle. Though Ashlynn did think of a contingency plan that if somehow the bracelets broke then she would have some other weapon at her disposal. She was working of getting one soon, because as of right now all she had was a pocket knife.

She sat down with her legs criss-crossed in front of the chalkboard (she had a fleeting thought of why most anime universes used chalkboards instead of whiteboards) and gave a questioning glance to the watermelon that had been balanced to the top of a pole and the small inflatable pool that was slowing being filled with water.

"The Chotta chakkar, War quoit, or chakram, the word comes from the Sanskrit term 'chakra', meaning circle or wheel. In China, the larger ones (yours could be classified into this category) are called wind and fire wheels." Ashlynn looked up as Reborn pointed with a ruler to the picture of a ring on the board. " The earliest records referring to this particular weapon were Indian epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana where the Sudashana Chakra is the chosen weapon on the god Vishnu and Chaktahaari (meaning 'chakram-wielder) which was another name for Krishna. The chakram was later widely known to be employed by the Sikh's as recently as the days of Ranjit Singh (the beginning of the 1800's) because of the Nihang practice of wearing chakram on their hands and wrists used as knuckle dusters making them equally suited for hand to hand fighting or a stack to be thrown like shuriken, on arms to break or cut the opponants arms while grappling, some large as a shield around the neck, and they were even tied in tiers on a high turban that would be used to rake across an enemy's face while in close quarters."

Ashlynn switched her gaze from the board and some of the notes to Reborn who was now in a robed garb with chakram on his person especially on a high turban like he said the Sikh's had done.

"Now, the combat prowess of the chakram is dependent on its size; the larger wheels for melee combat and the smaller can be used for both close quarter combat and as a projectile, because of its aerodynamic shape it is not easily deflected by the wind and if properly constructed it shouldn't make a sound. Like a modern Aerobie it was usually thrown vertically (underhand) so as to avoid accidentally hitting an ally on the left or right side.

Another method of launching the blade was by twirling on the index finger and thrown with a timed flick of the wrist." Reborn brought out a small chakram and demonstrated that attack by flinging the projectile in through the air and the blade lodged itself deep into the watermelon that had set up. Ashlynn whistled.

Reborn easily pulled the ring out of the fruit and returned to the board. "The spin is meant to add power and range to the throw while avoiding the risk of cutting yourself on the outer edge. An adept practitioner can twirl the chakram with one hand while using another weapon in the other hand. But I would advise not to throw unless you are sure you will be able to get it back quickly without any struggle or making any detour. In battle every second can and will count against you. Especially if you do not have your weapon.

There are a few martial art styles that handle rings and hoops of course, there is a style of Kung-fu that is sometimes referred to as chicken fighting because of its resemblance to the wings of a fighting rooster that can incorporate the use of the chakram. There is the Wing Chun style that uses a Mook wan or 'wooden ring' though the use of it is rather rare training tool is some of the families of the style, those that do eventually use metals rings as they progress. Wing Chun emphasizes on short range combat famous for its punches and uses quick attacks with kicks and grappling. There is an old legend, " Reborn smirked when Ashlynn visibly perked at the last one. "that Old Irish warriors had a secret style with a flying ring that was capable of some rather sophisticated maneuvers.

All in all, it is a very elegant, versatile, yet simple weapon that is able to flail, shear, parry, and disarm. Even today there is not much one can do to upgrade it."

Reborn waited a few moments to the let the information sink in before carrying on. "With your body type and taking in account to prior training you have received I believe that the Wing Chun style would benefit you as a starting point. Having a correct stance is like being bamboo: firm and tough, but flexible, rooted but yielding. This structure is used to either deflect external forces or redirect them. Balance is important to the structure for a well-balanced body recovers far more quickly from stalled attacks and able to stay on ones feet and even give a counterattack whereas an unbalanced person would fall and take time to recover from the blow.

One of the main principles as that the shortest between two points is a straight line. All strikes are designed to injure or disrupt your target which makes this style effective for street defense. There are two very important things in this particular style: to have a stable stance and to defend the center line as a direct attack to the center line is the most powerful thing.

Stand up with you feet shoulder width apart while standing on the balls of your feet (this is so you can twist around easily) and keep you back straight...good, now bend your knees...more...more... and push your knees together."

Ashlynn did so and was sent falling on her bottom when Reborn struck her off balance. She shook her head and quickly got back up again and sent her 'tutor' a questioning look. Had she done something wrong?

The hitman smirked. "You'll notice that I'm the kind of person to teach you wrong first so that you learn to never do it again. That's just how I roll. By bending your knees you are keep your center of balance low but you don't want it too low otherwise the thigh muscles will fatigue more quickly and you will be knocked off balance. When you push your knees together you are make it harder to walk and move freely. Do it again but now with a slight bend and don't push your knees together. While you are doing this hold your hands over your center line ( The point is to protect the solar plexus), hands are pointed forward up...Ashlynn relax your arms, hands too. Unnnecessary tension wastes energy and will cause you fatigue and tense limbs are less fluid during trapping, not to mention it will provide an easy handle for an opponent to grab or push with and also the maximum punching speed cannot be achieved as the biceps will be opposing the extension of the arm."

He had her hold the position then had her jog around the corners of the yard and would whistle for her to immediately stop into a guarding formation then the basic stance until he deemed it satisfactory enough to move on to the other forms such as the linear strike or the 'sun punch', the dispersing hand, and the fuk sao, the motion of pushing away an attack then using the opportunity for a counter along with a few other Wushu strikes and sweeps. Reborn had her repeat the same process of jogging and falling into the offensive and defensive formations while sometimes he would throw in an attack before he instructed her to first add the smaller metal chakram rings then further progressing to the larger chakram into the mix.

And like Reborn had warned, he taught her the wrong way to perform the stance first then showed her why it didn't work that way with Ashlynn always meeting the ground in some sort of fashion. Then he would proceed to correct the stance and the would threaten with a disturbing smirk and pointing his gun at her that if she ever did it wrong then the cursory strikes from before to force her off balance would seem like love taps.

Bullets being shot at you when you are even about to make a mistake is a wonderful motivator.

"Hey, Reborn?" Tsuna poked his head out from the sliding door. "Can you do a favor for me really quick? Can you beat up Lambo just a little bit?"

Ashlynn nearly paused and gave Tsuna an incredulous glance. Sure she had read that he tried to get Reborn to fight with Lambo so that the Bovino child would use the Ten year bazooka. But seriously? Asking for a child to be beaten up did not sit well with her at all.

"No." Reborn shot down the request. He turned the water off and put on a pair of sunglasses as Leon transformed into a floating inner tube. "I have told you before Dame-Tsuna; It is beneath me to bother with such lower ranking opponents."

"Gyahahahaha! You can only say that until now Reborn! For Lambo-san will defeat you!" The Bovino child himself declared from the top of the roof as if summoned by talking (insulting, really) about him. Ashlynn really paused in her tracks this time wondering how the five year old child got up there in the first place. Lambo reached into the void that was his afro and revealed a stun-gun and leaped dramatically towards Reborn. "Die Reborn! With the stun-gun that Lambo-san got from his boss! Zap, zap, zap!"

Reborn used Leon who had transformed into a large flyswatter and flung the boy right into the pool. Ashlynn winced at the sparks of electricity that came off the gun shocked Lambo and the boy screeched.

"Hiiiiie! Lambo!"

Lambo floated in the inflatable pool, crying and twitching. The he reached up into his afro again and retrieved the ten year bazooka, aimed at his own head and fired and disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke. As it cleared away, Ashlynn walked over waving the smoke out of her eyes and found an older looking Lambo sitting the younger one's in the little pool completely drenched and a little dazed.

"Goodness. Why is there a pool here?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"That's him! H-he's here!" Tsuna cried, he ran back to the sliding door, "Bianchi! Bianchi, come here! Look! Come over here, Bianchi! Hurry!"

Ashlynn went over to the little pool and offered a hand to the older Lambo. The boy took the proffered hand a gave her a smile.

"Younger Aneue, it's good to see you."

"Ah, Lambo you're older right now. It's because of that bazooka you keep shooting yourself with, right?" Lambo nodded affirmative and opened his mouth to say something else when the sliding door opened again with Tsuna leading Bianchi out into the back yard.

"I don't like to be forced into things, but I will be tutoring you soon~~ R-Romeo? Is that you, Romeo?" Bianchi stared in shock at the older Lambo who gave the woman a confused glance. Who was Romeo? His name was Lambo.

Bianchi ran the short distance to the male with tears in her eyes. "Romeo! You're alive!"

'Alright! Bianchi thinks that Lambo is her old boyfriend and will go away with him and never come back! ' Tsuna thought relieved, now he would be able to get rid of Bianchi. Though he never did think of the five minute time limit that that the bazooka had.

"Romeo~~ TAKE THIS! POISON COOKING II!" Bianchi whipped out and slammed a poisonous cake into the older Lambo's face, flinging the poor teenager back into the pool nearly knocking Ashlynn in with him too.

"It seems like right before the two them broke up, they had a horrible relationship together that wasn't working out at all. Every time she even thinks of him, she gets really upset and cannot be consoled." Reborn observed.

"What! That can't be!" Tsuna screamed.

"H-hold…it…in. Come on..." Lambo sniffled trying his best to keep from bawling. Ashlynn reached for him and helped him out of the water and gingerly wiped the poisonous substance from his face, wincing at the stinging sensation at her hands when she touched it.

"T-thank you Aneue." The older Lambo gave her a hug before disappearing into pink smoke, marking the end of the bazooka's effect. The younger Lambo was now hugging in the older one's place.

"Gahahaha! I am the super Lambo-san from the Bovino family! Who are you!"

Ashlynn smiled at the child, "My name is Ashlynn. I am a part of Tsuna's mafia family. He's my Boss."

She ignored the protests coming from Tsuna trying to deny any willing involvement in the mafia.

Tsuna looked around the back gate to where Gokudera was hiding from his sister and apologized that he was of no help to his boss. His face was blank as Tsuna explained what had happened when Bianchi saw the older Lambo and the boys face lit up in understanding then dropped to his knee and began to apologize profusely for his delay of information.

"I-I'm so sorry Juudaime! I should have expected this to happen and to warn you! I heard that her boyfriend had died due to food poisoning but I always thought that it was a rumor...I mean she really did like him when I was introduced...but if Reborn-san says otherwise then it must be true...I'm so sorry!"

"Eh? H-he died of food poisoning?" Tsuna mumbled. 'I wonder what made them have a fallout if she had liked him...poor Bianchi...no wonder she was upset...'

Tsuna turned his head back to the yard as Nana poked her head out of the kitchen window and called them in for dinner and invited Gokudera to join them if he wanted.

Gokudera shook his head and gave a wave goodbye. "You go on ahead, Juudaime. While big sis is still here I will only become a burden to you and your mother. So I will take my leave now."

Tsuna sighed and shook his head as he entered the house and walked straight to the kitchen and found Reborn and Bianchi already eating their meals on one side of the table and Ashlynn was settling Lambo down to eat on the other side and blew on the hot potions of food before she fed it to the five year old Bovino hitman., across from them Bianchi was doing the same for Reborn. Tsuna finally sat down and was thankful that dinner went on in silence.

Dessert was another matter.

When Nana asked Ashlynn what she normally did after school and she had answered that she worked in a bakery, Lambo dramatically leaped onto the table in front of Tsuna (ruining the desert that Nana had placed in front of him) and declared that Tsuna did not deserve to have Ashlynn as a member of his family and claimed her then on the spot as a subordinate of the great Bovino Famiglia and she would make him all kinds of sweets and other goodies while Tsuna and Reborn would not be allowed to have any.

Reborn then smacked the little Bovino into a wall. "Fnn, the very thought of her being a subordinate of the Bovino is laughable. Ashlynn is a member of the tenth generation family of the Vongola. She will become much too important for the likes of a low standard family of the mafia like the Bovino. If that were ever to happen it would be a shameful waste of potential and talent."

Ashlynn smiled at the compliment but did help Lambo off the floor back to his seat at the table and kept the boy from trying to attack anyone. Luckily there weren't anymore incidents though Tsuna's desert was stepped on so he had to get another but then Reborn stole it from him when he wasn't looking so Tsuna ended up not having anything.

After looking at the clock Ashlynn waved goodbye and started back for her apartment silently cursing herself for staying out so late. The street lights were already on outside. She turned around a corner not even three blocks away from Tsuna's when she nearly bumped into a man coming from around the fence.

"Sorry." Ashlynn moved out of the way of the male she almost walked into and moved around to pass by the group he was with and continue on down the road.

That is, before her hand was tugged from behind her and she turned to actually look at the taller (and rather smelly) and poorly dressed male that she had nearly ran into leer at her. Ashlynn shook her hand out of his grip. The man gave what she guessed was supposed to be a comforting gesture. It wasn't. That action coupled with the fact that the seven other men she counted in the group were snickering as they moved to surround her on all sides. She figured that the man talking was their leader of sorts.

"Hey sweetheart, how 'bout for almost running into me you can come with us for a night downtown? See we're a little new to the area and we happen to need someone who knows their way around."

"...You're lost?" Ashlynn asked giving the man's attire a glance. That was actually believable.

The man grinned again showing off dark yellowed teeth. "That's right. We were lost until you came and found us, babe."

She pointed in the direction that she knew to leave the residential area into the actual city part of Namimori. "You go four miles into that direction past the hospital."

Then she turned and made to go through the barricade that they had made around her. The male that she spoke to chuckled, a dark sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand in warning.

"Sorry, that's not the right answer~. The correct response is, 'Of course, I would absolutely love a night in the city and since I know my way around I am the perfect person to show you the way. It would be a _pleasure _to help some fine studs like you. Please allow me to show you the way.'"

Ashlynn shook her head. "No thank you. Please move out of my way."

The men laughed at her again and started moving forward.

'Well,' Ashlynn thought dryly. 'This is a load of baby-back Bullshit...'

"Alright girly listen closely, you're going to come along with us and have a good time and you can go home nice and safe after wards, we'll even escort you. Or we can just steal you away never to return, your choice." The ring leader gave his ultimatum.

"Again, no thank you. I'll be on my way." Ashlynn tried to pass the guy but was stopped again when he wrenched her backwards by the arm.

She didn't think as she dropped her school bag that she had brought along with her to Tsuna's earlier. She didn't exactly have the time to with the obvious threat to her person, Ashlynn slipped one of the smaller chakrams up around her knuckles as she turned and struck the man sideways across the face forcing him to let go of her arm and she quickly followed through with another hit, a punch that made the man fall to the ground with his has grasping at his now broken and heavily bleeding nose.

"Aaaaarghhhh! What're you assholes just stand'n around fer'! Grab 'er!" The fallen ordered and the men started to charge in but hesitated when Ashlynn slipped her wrist through one of the chakram bracelets and activated it to become a large ring of sharp metal and held it front of her.

"Now what is happening here?" A vice asked as a figure came around the corner that Ashlynn had come around not five minutes earlier, the streetlight revealed the newcomer to be the prefect and enforcer of discipline in Namimori; Hibari. The boy tilted his head as he surveyed the scene. "Seven crowding males, fighting and disturbing the peace of Namimori. I'll bit you all to death."

The fallen leader stumbled to his feet with his hands still folding his nose. He snarled at the boy in the Namimori Jr. high uniform. "Stupid punk! You want some too! We'll teach you want happens why you try to be a hero! Get 'em! Get 'em both! I want them dead!"

The leader gave out a roar as he charged with two others at Hibari while the other three moved around to attack Ashlynn. She moved out of the way of one attacker as one charged and as she slipped past him on the side she gave a harsh kick to the back of the man's leg, a loud audible snap resounded from the hit and the male fell to the ground crying in agony. Ashlynn quickly moved the larger chakram upwards to parry a strike from another man who had rushed forward with a knife in his hand. She swung her arm around his and used the hand with the smaller chakram to deliver a punch again but seeing her already do that to his Boss he pulled back and just narrowly missed having his neck slit across the throat from the small blade.

The man with the knife stepped up again to swipe at her stomach but his weapon was hit out of the way when it came to close to slash through her clothing. Ashlynn gave a high kick against his chest and toppled him to the ground. The third attacker in the group against her froze in fear. She had taken down the first man, disarming the second, not to mention that the boss had a nasty gash and his nose was broken. He picked up the glass bottle that he had been kicking across the neighborhood and chucked it at the offensive female who turned just as the bottle was sailing through the air. It smashed on contact on the top of the right side of her skull and while she was momentarily dazed from the blow his partner that she had just kicked down hastily grabbed her arms from behind into a tight lock.

Ashlynn yelped when the class broke against her, little shards had scratched her scalp and there was a throbbing in her ear no doubt that a larger piece had cut it. She didn't have room to use her chakrams as her arms were pulled harshly behind her so she tried the little trick of twirling the smaller chakram and aimed with her peripherals at the man's foot and clumsily launched the small ring of metal onto his foot where it hit and broke through his shoe and lodged into skin. Her captor screamed falling to the ground holding onto his foot in horror as blood gushed from his footwear and called for his friends for help as every time he tried to grab at the ring he convulsed as he nicked his hands on the sharp ring and the movement brought more pain to his foot.

The male that had thrown the bottle fearfully stepped back when Ashlynn laid eyes on him and he scurried another few steps back before turning to flee from the fight, right as he turned int the opposite direction he was smashed into a wall by a glinting steel tonfa in the hands of the prefect.

Ashlynn sighed softly in relief, her adrenaline completely wasted and the stinging that came from the broken glass started to come back to her attention and she gingerly reached to the side of her head to try and assess the damage done. Luckily the glass hadn't majorly pierced her scalp besides some scratches though she could feel that her ear had definitely been cut pretty badly on the top of the lobe though nothing too serious but she would have to make sure that there weren't any miniscule pieces were in the way as she healed. In all she had gotten away from the fight with rather minor injuries compared to the men against her.

Hibari snapped his phone shut after relaying orders to the members of the disciplinary committee to come and get rid of the trash that had dared to disturb the peace. He turned to the female who looked reluctantly at the small metal ring imbedded in one of her attackers feet. She hesitantly reached for the weapon and with a grimace pulled it out of the now unconscious man's foot and rubbed the blood off on the man's coat before moving it around her wrist then quickly looked away from the man and the blood that was still flowing freely from one of the shoes.

"Omnivore, I have seen you before. Explain."

She answered immediately. "I work part-time at Fukano's bakery. You made a purchase there while I was working."

He nodded then approached one of the men she had taken care of and nodded with approval. "Wao. You broke through the bone. And the second one...it is doubtful if he'll have use of that foot any more. Very nice."

Ashlynn stared a moment in confusion before realizing that he was actually giving her a compliment. It was rather surreal. And he called her 'Omnivore'? "...Thank you, I have just recently began to learn."

"Oh? Then we shall fight in the near future. For now, go home."

She nodded grabbing her bag as she maneuvered around the fallen bodies on the ground and broke into a sprint away from the scene. She noticed that her hands had started to shake and there was some guilt creeping in the back of her mind. She had a Frisbee like weapon from Hell capable of taking another person's life away. Even though she tried to justify her actions that they were going to hurt her, rape her, then keep her prisoner where they'd probably abuse her some more until they grew tire of her they'd kill her and her body would probably be found in a ditch somewhere. Not the greatest visual for her future.

Ashlynn nor Hibari noticed the baby hitman perched on a nearby lamppost. He had been able to observe the two combatants battle against the group of men. Reborn smirked. After only a single day of actual instruction Ashlynn had done surprisingly well given the circumstances of being outnumbered and nearly overpowered at one point. Of course he would have stepped in if would turn out to be too much for her to handle by herself.

Though the appearance of the prefect was interesting and they were at least acquainted with each other. The boy, Hibari Kyouya, He seemed strong and was an able fighter. He would make a nice addition to the new generation of the Vongola.

He had quite the lengthy report to make.

* * *

><p>"Ow."<p>

Dolly grumbled an apology as she pulled shards of glass out of Ashlynn's hair and scalp. The girl had knocked on the front door a while after she had put Birdy to bed. One look to the blood that was dripping slowly from the girls ear and the shining of glass in her hair had Dolly dragging Ashlynn into the master bathroom and sat her down on the toilet as she pulled out the first aid box she had in the cupboard.

"What happened?"

"Was walking home and almost bumped into a guy and his buddies. They reeked of alcohol and they tried to get me to go downtown with them... I ran but one of them managed to throw a bottle at me before I got away...Ow~."

Dolly used a squirt bottle to spray disinfectant on the scratches then wiped a cloth with bactine over the girls' right ear that had a shallow cut across the top of the lobe and another from the tip forming a diagonal line to the edge of her face. She switched the cloth out for a gauze pad and held the bandage in place with the clear tape that came with the gauze to hold it on.

Ashlynn grimaced then tried to pat her head to see. "Is it okay...?"

Dolly lightly smacked her hands away then moved the now unbound honeyed hair this way and that to make sure that she didn't miss any broken glass, it would be problematic if a tiny shard was in any of the cuts when they healed. She nodded patting Ashlynn's shoulder. "Taken care of so it doesn't seem you'll be needing any hospital care. You're lucky it didn't hit closer to your face. It would have left a nasty scar if it did. You got very lucky tonight you know."

"Yeah.."

"I know that I'm not officially your guardian but I would like you try to be home before it gets dark out and see if you can get any male friends to walk you home when you can't...You seem fine but if you even the slightest stinging I want you to tell me. Now off to bed with you."

Ashlynn sighed but relented to the older woman's glare. She grabbed her hair tie and picked up her bag. "Okay Dolly...thanks for getting the glass out. Night."

Dolly nodded and shooed her back to her own apartment.

* * *

><p>Duck, dodge, parry, strike, dodge, dodge, barrel roll, strike, strike, duck, strike...<p>

Ashlynn swore as Bianchi landed a hit against her side sending her stumbling back to regain her balance and try to step in for a counter attack before quickly deciding to dodge again instead as Bianchi launched another plate of poison cooking her way followed by a few rounds of a paintball pistol at blank range. three hit her in the chest while another two hit her left leg as she moved in closer with a strike with a large chakram and launching the spinning chakram from her other hand.

So far after a few rounds of training over the week Ashlynn had only been able to successfully dodge most of the attacks from the other woman and return three or four attacks that would actually hit. But she was improving at a nice pace according to Bianchi and Reborn. Soon enough Bianchi would stop using the paintball and BB guns and start using actual handguns with real bullets along with small explosives during the outdoor training sessions.

Bianchi landed another hard hit sending her down to the Earth before offering a hand to help her back up onto her feet. She smiled as Ashlynn grasped her hand. "Very well done. You're instincts are definitely getting better. We just need to get your body stronger and faster to be able to react to them more properly."

"Thanks Bianchi."

"During your runs with the boys, I assume that you have taken the habit of wearing weights?"

Ashlynn nodded. "You assume correctly and I've been adding from five to ten pounds every other week or so."

"Also need to get you used to cheating while in a fight. You won't always come across someone in the mafia who'll play fair or honorably. If you can use it then use and abuse it. Make sure that your opponent cannot get the better of you and have you killed just because you want to make things fair. It's not a pretty world we live in, especially when you're working in the mafia underground."

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

Bianchi patted her head. "Nothing to apologize for. You grew up without the knowledge of those who were born in mafia families. You're learning and you're putting what you learn into use. When this is all done with I'm sure you'll be one of the most dangerous women of the mafia world and you'll be a great credit to your Boss."

Ashlynn smiled as they walked away from the abandoned building on the outskirts of town. They had agreed that it would be best to have their training away from any prying eyes and concerned civilians that would have made a fuss seeing the two fight each other with lethal weapons and force. So they had found the building and Bianchi made a call to some associates to have it fixed up and turned into a training facility for them to use and destroy at their discretion.

"Hey Bianchi?"

"Yes?"

"You know how Reborn shoots Tsuna and he comes back to life in only his boxers and a flame on his head? Do you think you can tell me more about that flame?"

"You're very observant."

Ashlynn shrugged.

Bianchi linked their arms together as they walked the way back to Tsuna's house. "Called the Dying Will Flame, created by one's concentrated resolve and has been likened to the idea of a dense aura. Some can be hereditary, so a family could pass down a certain flame attribute to their later generations. A good example is the Boss' family will pass down the Sky flame to each new generation. There are seven types of flame, each with a color matching the seven colors of the rainbow with a unique characteristic for each flame; orange for Sky, red for Storm, blue for Rain, yellow for Sun, green for Lightning, purple for Cloud, and indigo for mist. A person can have a strong affinity for a flame though it's not too uncommon to find someone who has a secondary or even a third affinity; and the stronger one's resolve is, the purer and more powerful the flame that is exuded. According to Reborn you primarily have strong Lightning flames and he believes that you may have a secondary affinity."

"Does that mean if I get shocked it won't hurt or it won't hurt as bad?"

Bianchi made a thoughtful noise in her throat. "Perhaps. It wouldn't hurt to test it nor would it be a bad idea to get you used to feeling an electrical current. It would be useful to add Lightning to your weapons so that you could shock or crisp your opponent from a block or your own strike."

"So I should stick my finger into an electrical socket and see what happens?" Ashlynn laughed.

"You could do that. It would be much more safer, then say, strapping you to an electric chair and up the wattage every few minutes. I'll run the idea by Reborn and see what he wants to do."

"Alright then."

"For now let us retreat to the kitchens and see how well you can learn to make Italian~. Perhaps you will be able to make it poisonous."

* * *

><p>The Ninth Boss of the Vongola Famiglia, The Godfather, The man with the the Scepter, Don Timoteo, was not a person who could easily be surprised and if he ever was, he was more than capable of hiding it. Nearing his seventieth year of life there were things that he had seen and done that required him to adopt a stony facade or the grandfatherly disposition that he showed to the world.<p>

He wasn't even all that surprised by the stunt that Xanxus had pulled some years ago. He wished that it had never had happened but it would have been quite foolish of him to believe that it wasn't possible.

But with his seventy years came the pains and aches of old age: his joints creaked when he moved to sit or bend down, there was the ever knot in his shoulders, and his legs were starting to weaken, limiting his mobility. He agreed with his right hand that it was time to pass along the torch to his successor, so to speak.

Unfortunately his first choice to pass the mantle of the Boss of the Vongola Famiglia and Godfather, his eldest son Enrico who was the most qualified and in the best state of mind to rule the family, was shot and killed in a scuffle. He had investigations made to see what family had been responsible but there was sadly nothing for his forces to work with.

His second choice was his second son, Massimo was the next qualified but it turned out that he had gotten in some trouble somewhere and was found with cinder bricks tied to each finger, his head, waist, and feet in a river.

His youngest child hadn't wanted to take on the job as the Boss and had been fine with his brothers wanting the role and was perfectly content where he was working. His poor, sweet son Frederico and his lovely wife Irene who had been expecting child had gone missing shortly after Massimo's funeral. Timoteo had been sent a package and a letter not two weeks after that. Inside the envelope had been two pictures: one of them was the missing couple, beaten and bloodied but still thankfully alive. The other had been of bones on the ground of a dark warehouse he did not recognize. Inside the package was a set of bones for two people; testing had revealed that it belonged to the now dead family of three.

That left only one possible candidate left who had Vongola blood though he had hoped that it wouldn't have had to come down to it. So with a great reluctance he set his sights on the son of one of his own subordinates. Sawada Tsunayoshi would become the heir and next in line to take over the Vongola and the title of Godfather and all that it entailed.

The boy was young and with training he could be made up into the perfect candidate to take over the family and allow him (Timoteo) to retire without worry. He sent along the best hitman in the world to train him. If Reborn had been able to make that Cavallone boy into a suitable and respectable Boss then Timoteo would not have to worry about the Vongola being in the boys' hands since Tsunayoshi was showing the same traits that the Cavallone boy had shown before and during training.

According to the first reports that Reborn ha relayed the child was still quite clumsy and lazy as ever and his academics and athletics were beyond abysmal but with Reborn's 'tutoring' he was beginning to show a little promise though it was miniscule. His heir had no ounce of ambition in his bones and it was a wonder if this would be a good thing but he is fond of his guardians (The boy insists that they are only friends) and wishes to keep them from harm which was rather admirable trait to have in a Boss. However Reborn still thought Tsunayoshi had a very long way to go and was still a good for nothing piece of human being. Timoteo took that to mean that Reborn had taken it as a challenge to make the boy in the greatest Boss the mafia has ever seen and that he was having fun torturing the boy.

The latest reports had told of the boys great reluctance to become the Boss but had (no doubt because of Reborn) gathered together some members for his family. The Gokudera boy, the brash, quick-tempered younger sibling of the famed Poison Scorpion Bianchi, had been a bit discertaining and would have to be watched but since Tsunayoshi had accepted him the boy swore unending loyalty, practically worshiped the ground that his heir walked on and claimed the place as the heir's right hand man and would become very argumentative with anyone who seemed to even think of taking the position from him. It was a bit worrying that the boy sought out that role since the right hand helped make any important decisions along with the Boss. The current Don would have to trust Tsunayoshi's and Reborn's judgment for now but he would not hesitate to remove him if the boy proved to be untrustworthy.

Another member and apparent baseball fanatic, a Yamamoto Takeshi. Reborn swears that the boy possesses a natural talent and potential to become one of the greatest hitmen in the world and showed a willingness to be a member of the family. Though cheerful and very friendly, reports have pointed that the boy was incredibly naive in his thinking that the weapons that Reborn used were very 'realistic' toys and anything that was really and truly mafia was nothing more than a child's game of cops and robbers. Timoteo briefly wondered what Yamamoto thought what side he was on.

The latest member, a Meagher Ashlynn (by the way of the Japanese putting the surname before the given name) was actually quite the surprise. Timoteo and his right hand had been secretly working on a certain classified project with the head of another family and one of the last experiments of said project had been a success. They just now had to track down the person that was supposed to arrive in Italy. Luckily a few days after the experiment two of his subordinates in Japan had inquired about the identity of a female in Namimori, then there had been the report form Reborn cementing his suspicions of the female that was now a member of Tsunayoshi's family.

Ashlynn, the girl had been reported to have a uncannily strong flame and when shot by the Dying Will Bullet she had projected a mighty lightning flame in place of the usual sky flame that normally was the state of the flame by being hit with the bullet of the sun flamed creature, Leon. Also she seemed to have an interest in the Dying Will Flames.

She seemed to not be very surprised by the knowledge of the mafia and also showed some promise of being a great hitwoman. After a single day of actual instruction she had been able to perform the techniques in battle though they were a bit sloppy with the help of a now potential member. And by the end of that week the girl had started to spar with Gokudera Bianchi who had taken quite the shine to the girl and the two had found a common ground in cooking, much to the other family members horror especially when Bianchi had proclaimed that she would teach her new pupil (Ashlynn) her art.

Timoteo let go of a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding that Miss Ashlynn has not of yet been able to make her creations poisonous. While it would be an advantage it was a frightening thought that there would be another person with the same abilities as the Poison Scorpion.


	7. Chapter 7

**"Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise."**

**-Wallace Stevens**

**"The doctor is to be feared more than the disease."**

**-Latin Proverb**

* * *

><p>Around the time that Ashlynn had turned eleven she had long devoured anything written by Marion Zimmerman along with seeing the movie version of 'The Mists of Avalon', and basically anything else that had mentioned priestess and magics. So when her parents brought her and her siblings to Ireland to meet their Grandmother, Ashlynn had been under the impression that the elderly woman was some kind of priestess and that she had the gift of Sight. And when she brought the idea to her parents and the friendly old man that helped take care of the house she had not been corrected or scolded for believing such a thing. Grandma Aine had such a wise graceful air about her that was absolutely fascinating to Ashlynn the very moment that she met her.<p>

The Meagher woman had happily welcomed them into her spacious home, lightly scolding her son and his wife for taking so long to come for a visit then had them lean forward so that she could get a good look at them and kissing them before she switched her attention to the children waiting in the foyer. Aine had smiled, Ashlynn remembered that she had a lovely smile, as she took a good look at her grandchildren.

To Flaithri, the eldest of the siblings she told him that he looked just like his father and his grandfather when they were boys and that he was every bit the 'Prince of Kings' that his name suggested. To little Norene who was shyly peeking at the woman from behind Flaithri she claimed that that the girl would become quite the woman when she grew up, having her mothers eyes and nose and possessing her fathers sturdy jaw and cheekbones and asked the child about the scarf that no one had known that she was trying to knit.

Ashlynn remembered that Grandma Aine had paused whens she laid her eyes on her. As if Aine was looking straight through her to the core of her soul and everything that made Ashlynn who she was. It had given her goosebumps despite the warm temperature of the house. Then the elderly matriarch gave a bright smile that didn't match the sadness that Ashlynn caught a glimpse of in the woman's eyes. She told her that she had a hidden strength locked within her that was waiting to be unlocked to used to its full potential but warned that there would be a price for the said strength. Aine then told her that she was proud of her that she would not become corrupted by the power and would become a protector, a Guardian, a Caomhnóir.

Ashlynn would stay an extra two weeks longer than the rest of her family. While they went back to the States for the rest of summer break, Ashlynn stayed in Ireland with her priestess-like Grandmother where she would learn Gaelic and protective rituals, meaning of gemstones, how to make her own Celtic knot, amongst other things that the woman sought to teach her. During the times that Ashlynn stayed with her Aine had tried to fit so many things in the spans of a single day and took as many pictures of them together.

Thinking back on it while doing a load of laundry, Ashlynn took that the strength that Grandma Aine had spoken of was the flame of resolution. And the price was that she had been pulled from her rightful world and dropped into an anime universe.

Ashlynn shut and locked the sliding glass door and went for her school bag and unzipped a pocket that she had sewn in herself and took out a rosy quartz crystal pendant and held the stone to her lips. 'Seanmháthair,' She silently called out with her thoughts focused on her grandmother. 'I am as safe as I can be. You were right about the strength you talked about...I will become a Caomhnóir just like you said I would...I love you Seanmháthair and if you can really hear me please tell the others that I love them and I miss them.'

* * *

><p>Ashlynn's first impression of Miura Haru from reading the manga and watching the anime was that the girl was a rather cute character that genuinely cared for the people around her and tried to be of help despite the circumstances and mostly lack of information of said circumstances. The only thing that Ashlynn could really fault her for was that she always jumped to crazy conclusions headfirst with not a bit of forethought. That and she thought it was really annoying that Haru practically spammed English words adding 'u' after each one. Ex: 'Dangerousu', or something along those lines.<p>

Actually meeting Haru in person didn't change Ashlynn's viewpoint of her whatsoever. And Ashlynn found the meeting to be the most ridiculous situation that she had yet to be in.

Ashlynn was walking to school with Tsuna that morning, hers was another five to ten leisurely walk away from the Junior high.

Tsuna had got int the habit of bringing his uniform and school bag to her house every morning and then after they trained they would change then walk together from her apartment.

This made Gokudera flip out when he found out, not that Ashlynn, Reborn and Tsuna had tried to make it a secret or anything. Gokudera had expressed concern that Ashlynn was 'Taking advantage of the Juudaime's purity'. Ashlynn had to firmly explain to the smoker that Reborn was having her give Tsuna conditioning training and that he and Yamamoto were welcome to join if they wanted but she would have to bring them up to speed with Tsuna's conditioning. They would need weights so they would be joining them when they acquired their respective equipment. Yamamoto wouldn't be too much of a problem but a glance at Gokudera's skinny form told her that he may take just a bit longer than the baseball player. She would also have to try to glean the boy off of his cigarettes. Perhaps a certain amount of laps for every one he tried to smoke during training then in the future add on laps whenever he pulled one out period.

They both agreed, Yamamoto because he said it would be nice to hang out more as a full group and Gokudera because he was Tsuna's right hand man. Ashlynn immediately turned on him and in blunt terms told him that she did not appreciate what he was implying about her and would take no nonsense from him about taking 'advantage' of anybody. She followed that statement with the question on why Gokudera would know anything (or have any concerns for that matter) about Tsuna's love life. All three teenage boys went red.

Gokudera called her a stupid broad.

She called him an idiotic Boyo.

Then she left the group as they entered the Junior high campus and she kept walking ahead to the high school smirking childishly because he was steaming in anger and she had the final say in the conversation.

That had been two days ago and the boys would be joining her and Tsuna tomorrow morning for training. Ashlynn found herself with an unholy glee to be training Gokudera. Perhaps this is what Reborn feels when he trains Tsuna.

Ashlynn blinked as she remembered herself and nodded to Tsuna and told him that if he was having any trouble with schoolwork then she would help him. Since she was in high school then Junior high work wouldn't be a problem to help with. As she asked what subjects he was having trouble with (almost all of them apparently) they walked onto a bridge and came across a person wearing a kendo uniform, holding a motorcycle helmet in one hand while wielding a hockey stick in the other while two tennis rackets were strapped to her back.

Miura Haru had made her appearance and she was sweating profusely in the near summer heat and humidity. It was far too hot for what she was wearing and who knows how long she had been standing there at the bridge waiting.

"Good morning. I am Haru, who could not sleep at all last night preparing for this moment." Haru declared to the two wiping the clothed part of her armored arm across her sweating brow.

"Hiiiie! You wear such things when you can't sleep at night!" Tsuna back-pedaled a few steps. Ashlynn frowned but decided that a chakram wouldn't be need in this scuffle. The girl in front of them looked too tired to put up as much of a fight she would have if she had been well rested. There were dark bags under her eyes. Add that to the armor she was wearing in this kind of heat.

Haru scoffed and wiped the back of her neck. "Of course not! That would make me a complete idiot! If Reborn-chan is really a hitman , then I believe that you, Tsuna-san, who Reborn-chan claims will become a mafia boss, will be very strong. And this. This must be one of your subordinates who must also be very formidable.

Haru huffed pulling on the motorcycle helmet and brandished the pink hockey stick in front of her, "If you are strong, then I shall believe Reborn-chan, and I won't complain about anything in his life! Now we shall duel! Prepare yourself Tsuna-san! Subordinate-san!"

The girl rushed at them and swung the hockey stick in a horizontal slash. Ashlynn stepped easily out of the way of the stick and Tsuna clamored clumsily to the left and held onto the railing of the bridge for support. Haru directed her next attack at the boy with another downward strike towards Tsuna's head but was stopped when Ashlynn darted forward and reached out and pulled on the piece of sports equipment that nearly came inches away from bashing into Tsuna's skull. The boy shrieked and caught the attention of a person walking on the other side of the bridge.

"Juudaime!" The cigarette fell from his mouth, on the bridge was Tsuna leaning against the railing, and Ashlynn was keeping the attacker from dealing the final strike. Gokudera rushed in the fray with dynamite being fused as he ran. 'What the fuck is that! A disposable hitman from a rival family come to assassinate the Juudaime! I was wrong about you Ashlynn. Hang on! I will bring you support!"

Ashlynn easily forced the hockey stick out of the younger girl's hands and pitched it behind her. Haru growled swiftly backing up and reached behind her for the tennis rackets, only being able to unstrap one of them. "You are quite an opponent, Subordinate-san! Being able to disarm me once already! But see! I still have a weapon to attack with!" Haru pointed the racket at Ashlynn.

"I'll never be a mafia boss!" Tsuna screamed trying to stop the attacking female, 'And she's not my subordinate!"

Haru gasped, "Then you are toying with Reborn-chan after all!" The now enraged girl barreled toward Tsuna erratically swing the racket.

"No! It's not like that at all!" Tsuna scooted barely out of the weapons reach.

"Juudaime! Ashlynn! I'll be your reinforcement! Die!" Gokudera stepped in to shield Tsuna with his body and attacked Haru with explosives.

"HAHIEEK!" The blast threw Haru off her feet and over the railing into the waters of the canal. She splashed, struggling to keep from being pulled down by the heavy weight of the armor she was wearing. "He-cough, help me!"

"You're safe now Juudaime!" Gokudera happily informed his Boss who was currently panicking over the girl he had just sent to the water under the bridge. Gokudera turned to Ashlynn with an apologetic expression and patted her shoulder. " Thank you. For protecting the Boss in my absence. It was wrong of me to think that you were trying to take advantage of him before. I see now that you are nothing but devoted to his safety. I hope that this will not get in the way of working together for the sake of the Juudaime."

Ashlynn had her first experience of having an anime sweat drop. " Of course, Gokudera. I am glad that we are able to get past this misunderstanding."

"Oh no! She fell in!" Tsuna leaned over the railing in a full blown panic. "W-what do we do! We have to help her otherwise she'll drown!"

"Then save her with your dying will."

"Hiiiiie! Reborn! When did you get here!" Tsuna shrieked at the sudden appearance of the hitman.

Haru started at the appearance and called out alarmed for the child's safety though she was in the greatest danger. "No! No Reborn-chan!Cough, this...this isn't...something you can swim in! It's way too dangerous! H-ha hi!" Haru nearly stopped trying to keep herself afloat when Reborn, precious, innocent child Reborn, point a gun at Tsuna. '..What! Reborn-chan what are you doing...?'

"Save her Dame-Tsuna." Reborn shot the dying will bullet from the Leon gun sending the boy over the railing. As his limp body dropped towards the surface of the water, he emerged out of his own skin clad only in his boxers and a bright orange flame glowing on the crown of his head.

"REBORN! Save Haru as if I were to die!"

Reborn shot another two consecutive shots, hitting Tsuna's heels, "Hitting the heel on the body, makes it the leg screw bullet."

Tsuna propelled himself in Haru's direction and grabbed the girl in a bridal fashion, "HOLD ONTO ME!"

* * *

><p>"Thank you." Haru said holding her knees in her arms, resting her head on them. A towel covering her head and her shoulders.<p>

Gokudera scoffed at the now quiet girl. "What a bother. Did you even think about your actions? If you try anything else against the Juudaime your existence in this world will come to an end. Are we clear girl?"

Ashlynn twitched at the statement.

"Pu…'Save Haru as if I were to die! Hold onto me! Swim to the other bank!" Haru smiled happily, "I thought only cheesy lines like those would only be said on TV!"

"Hey! S-stop that! It's embarrassing!" Tsuna cried, 'She's not reflecting on her actions at all! She's making fun of me!'

"It was very…very wonderful. That you jumped in the place of Reborn-chan, Juudaime. My heart is pounding! I can now confidently say that Haru has fallen in love with Tsuna-san." Haru brought her hands to her blushing cheeks. Reborn smirked at Tsuna's slack-jawed expression.

"This means!" Haru suddenly pointed at Ashlynn. "That we are rivals, Subordinate-san! You who are a female and being oh so very close to Tsuna-san! I will defeat you to have Tsuna-san's love for myself!"

Ashlynn sighed, "Can you not call me that? My name is Ashlynn, Not 'Subordinate-san.' And I say no thanks; I have no interest in fighting to be involved with Tsuna in that way."

"Are you so confident that you wouldn't have to put up a fight for his love! Does that mean that you have such a good person like Tsuna-san under your spell? Well! Haru will not back down! Haru will save Tsuna-san from your evil spell or potion that has poor Tsuna-san under your wretched control!"

"...That's not what I meant..."

"From this day forth we a rivals." Haru cried indignant and ignoring Ashlynn's attempt to salvage the situation. "I will defeat you in any and every way possible so that Tsuna-san will realize your true colors!"

"My true colors? By Brighid how did you come to that conclusion...?"

Gokudera spurned the though. He now knew that Ashlynn had no romantic interest in the Juudaime. No, it was this little harpy that was trying to force herself on the Boss. And that was completely unacceptable. There would be no way that he would ever allow this slip of a girl to control the Juudaime and slander the reputation of one of his loyal subordinates.

Ashlynn sighed again. Right when Gokudera was convinced she was going to do anything underhanded and stopped harping on her case Haru started it back up again. And she was much more excitable and quicker to point the finger.

How Fan-flipping-tastic.

* * *

><p>"Fukano-san~! I'm here!" Ashlynn knocked on the door of her employer's office door that was swiftly opened and Ashlynn was pulled in and enveloped into a booby filled embrace.<p>

"Hello darling~ You're a little early today." Fukano-san sing-songed happily.

"Just letting you know I'm here before working." Ashlynn's voice was muffled by the older woman's breasts in her face and Fukano-san only pressed her in more in happiness. " I think your boobs got bigger Boss Lady... I seem to be losing air a lot faster than last time."

"Of course Hun, you go right on ahead." Fukano-san released her and waved her to the front of the store.

Ashlynn would be taking care of taking orders instead of her usual job in the back of the shop. She had no donuts that the switch in her position had everything to do with the fact that she had got away unscathed from the prefect. And it was all thanks to a bitchy employee and the rest of the workers following her lead like sheep. Stupid Senioritis and pulling Seniority.

"Omnivore."

Well shit. Said prefect came by again...

Ashlynn proceeded to prepare the prefects order. She had been informed that Hibari always, always, always gave the same order. Coconut juice and shortbread. Heaven forbid if they would ever run out stock of either of the two, because even though they say to never kill the messenger, Hibari had no qualms about rules except the ones he made himself. She handed the items over on the counter in exchange for the money for the purchase.

"When your studies in combat have advanced, we shall fight Omnivore."

"O-of course Hibari-san." Ashlynn waited again until the prefect was out of sight before sighing in relief. Hibari was still as frightening as ever in person. Though she felt a little proud that she had gained a small inkling of respect if calling 'Omnivore' instead of 'Herbivore' like he did to everyone else beneath him.

Ashlynn looked over with a deadpan at the door leading to the back. Fukano-san along with the other workers were all whispering and trying to see into the front through the partly opened door where they had been watching the entire exchange between her and Hibari. Fukano-san had her hands pressed giddily to her cheeks and had hearts in her eyes while the rest were awestruck before exploding in commentary and surrounded her on all sides with their questions.

"He called you Omnivore!"

"Why? He always calls everyone a herbivore!"

"She really didn't get bitten to death. I thought that senpai was pulling our legs..."

"It seems he favors her."

"Man, that's really not fair."

"Ooh! That was so very cute!" Everyone suddenly stopped and looked at their boss who was starting to gush and sway. Ashlynn sighed again. Why must people take things the wrong way?

"Alright, alright, let's not crowd her," Fukano-san announced clapping her hands, "Yes we are all interested, but alas this matter of love is not our business unless Ashlynn decides it is our business. Back to work everybody. Chop chop!" She sent the other employees back to their stations then looked at Ashlynn with hopeful eyes. She shook her head in a negative fashion.

"We are not dating, Fukano-san. You are making this into a big misunderstanding that will most likely come back to bite me in the ass. Pardon my language."

"Right now you're not dating."

"Fukano-san please?" Ashlynn groaned, did she really need to explain this like she was speaking to a five-year old? She reached for a towelette to wipe the counter tops "We are not dating. Hibari-san just helped me out when a couple of guys ganged up on me the other night. And no, I do not have a boyfriend..."

The front door of the bakery opened and three males walked in, the leader of the trio looked up and gave a pleased smile when he saw who was in uniform behind the counter. Finally he knew where she worked and she was alone without the Lesbian tagging along after her like a disgusting diseased little puppy."Ashlynn-chan, sweetheart, Utsukushii, I didn't know that you worked here. I would have come visit you a lot sooner."

"…I have a creepy stalker guy, Fukano-san. And that's him behind me. And there is also a girl who is convinced that I am holding the guy she now likes hostage." Ashlynn ripped the disposable rag into two. After taking so much care to not run into Hiroto after school just went to waste. Hiroto could now come to harass her anytime he felt like it. For a moment she entertained the idea of asking Dolly if she could use her shotgun.

"Creepy stalker guy?" Fukano-san mumbled. She frowned but was quickly replaced with a blinding smile. "Well, I'll leave you to your job Ashlynn-chan!" The woman waved and skipped back to her office.

Ashlynn gasped. 'No! Fukano-san! Don't abandon me now! Please don't leave me alone with this guy and his friends!' No luck, her boss kept skipping away. Ashlynn sighed again, she was doing that a lot lately, "How may I help you?" She grumbled. 'Come on Ashlynn, if you can get away unharmed physically with speaking to Hibari then you can deal with this guy verbally. You can do it!'

"Well, Sekushī na , I'd like you to get me a doughnut and a banana." Hiroto leaned against the counter, the two behind him began to snigger at the obvious innuendo. She wasn't going to make it through this.

'Don't punch the customer in the face. Don't punch the customer in the face. Don't punch the customer in the face. Don't punch the customer in the face." Ashlynn silently chanted. Asking to borrow Dolly's shotgun sounded like a wonderful idea right about now.

"Any preference for doughnuts?" She asked strained.

"One with icing please." Came the answer and Hiroto's companions laughed again.

"Anything else?" Ashlynn glanced at the other two boys, they both shook their heads with wide grins. 'Please let that be it.'

"Nope, that's all I want. For now." Hiroto smiled cheekily at her. Ashlynn went to gather the items and placed them in a carry out bag and brought it to the counter.

"That will be five hundred yen." Ashlynn told him. 'Almost done. Nearly there.'

Hiroto placed the amount in her hand, which she put in the cash register. Hiroto grabbed his purchase and nodded to his followers and lead them to the closest table to the counter and the three sat down. Ashlynn looked at them with shock. Really? They were going to stay?

Oh Hell to the no.

'Please don't do what I think you're about to do.' Ashlynn begged. Of course she knew perfectly well what the double meaning in getting a doughnut and a banana was. She wasn't stupid. Hiroto brought out his purchase balanced the doughnut upright. He looked up and waved at Ashlynn with a stupid grin on his face that was mirrored by the other two. With supposed grandeur and a drum roll from his friends, Hiroto picked up the banana.

Ashlynn groaned. Yep he did it.

All three boys began to laugh hysterically. Ashlynn took deep breaths in and out. She needed to be calm. She couldn't blow up at them because right now they were customers and though she was pretty sure it couldn't happen because Fukano-san really like her. But they could make a complaint and she could potentially lose her job.

"Ashlynn-chan~~"

"Y-yes Boss Lady?" Ashlynn looked up hopefully.

"Come here for a moment." Fukano-san called from the doorway to the baking area. Ashlynn briskly walked over to her boss. Anything for a slight reprieve from the obnoxious assholes in the sitting area. Jeez, out loud she didn't curse, but in her mind she had quite the sailor's mouth.

"Make sure to clean and restock the display cases, mmkay?"

"Oh…o-okay." Ashlynn was really hoping that since Hibari had already come for his shortbread and juice, then someone would switch with her. No such luck.

It wasn't for another half hour of listening to Hiroto and his friends laugh, no doubt at her expense before they all left. They didn't buy anything else, just screwed around with the doughnut and the banana and making lewd comments. Before leaving, Hiroto blew a kiss to her which she thoroughly ignored in favor of cleaning the empty display cases before replacing the dirty trays with new ones with fresh pastries.

It was another hour before two of the other employees decided they were tired of baking and wanted to switch places with her. At that point she was too tired to even complain that they had been hired for specific parts in the bakery and they couldn't just switch whenever they damn felt. She had grumbled but did go in the back. She liked baking, so it wasn't too much trouble since she was learning to make new things thanks to the recipes that that the shop had, but she would have to make sure that she didn't allow them to walk all over her. She would be having a talk with the boss later. She lost herself in filling cream puffs and cannoli's for the rest of her working shift.

"Boss Lady."

"Yes, what is it sweetie?" Fukano-san looked up from the papers on her desk.

"I'd like to have it made very clear to the other employees that they can't decide that they want to switch with me whenever they feel like. I was hired to do baking and I like doing that. I really don't want them to think that they can walk all over me Fukano-san." Ashlynn spoke steadily concealing the fact that she was in fact very upset about this.

"Of course Honey bunch, I'll see to it." Fukano gave thumbs up.

"Thanks, have a nice day, Boss Lady." Ashlynn waved before she left the establishment.

"How did she do?"

Fukano turned to the baby hitman on the window sill and smiled, she had worked with Reborn and Bianchi a few times in the past."Very well, she was able to handle being near Hibari-san without being beaten for crowding the boy. And right after that she was accosted by a boy she called a 'creepy stalker guy' and his friends making very sexual comments at her expense. She looked very uncomfortable ever since they came in the shop and when I called her from the side she looked so helpless I really wanted to hug her really tight!"

"'Creepy stalker guy?'" Reborn asked. Why hadn't he known about that? He knew that the boy had been a bit forward with his advances, but if he was harassing the girl then there was going to be a problem. He would get to the end of it.

"Yes. You don't think she meant that literally?"

"I'll look into it. It was good to see you again Keiko. If anything happens let me know."

"Of course, Reborn-kun."

Ashlynn kept looking over her shoulder when she walked home. It was bad enough that Hiroto knew where she worked. She really didn't need him finding out where she lived too. She shivered, what if he somehow got into her apartment. She was glad that she kept the chakrams that Reborn had given to her on hand at all times. It had already saved her life the other night.

Finally getting to her apartment she pulled out the lanyard that held her house key and the mail box key, she reminded herself that only Dolly had a copy of her set of keys and she always made sure that the sliding glass door that led to the balcony was always locked whenever she wasn't using the washer or dryer. The only window that was accessible and large enough to climb through was in the kitchen and that was always locked as well. If someone wanted in she would know if the screen or the glass had been tampered with.

She'd take a shower then she would see how Tsuna was doing.

* * *

><p>It was pretty hard to keep track of her; she kept looking behind her shoulder to see if anyone was following. Which he was, actually. He had gone home to change his clothes and he put on an old baseball hat that he found in his closet. She hadn't recognized him at all. Hiroto felt like he was on a winning streak, he found out where Ashlynn worked and now he was going to find out where she lived. Today was a very happy and good day. He waited until Ashlynn entered her apartment before beginning to skulk up the stairs.<p>

Well, that was before he heard a gun being cocked.

"Put your hands up and slowly come down the stairs."

What the hell? Was there a cop here? Hiroto slowly raised his arms above his head and started slowly back down the steps. "Is there a problem? I know someone that lives upstairs."

"I sure you do, since you stalked her all the way here from the bakery, boy. Turn around so I can get a good look at you, so I know who to shoot if you ever come back here again."

Hiroto turned around and saw a tall, dark brown haired woman with a shotgun pointed at his chest. That wasn't supposed to happen. He was going to see Ashlynn at her place, and then things would go on from there.

"Leave now, and don't you come back. I'll be making sure to have you served with a restraining order."

"What? But I haven't done anyth—Aaaahhhhh!"

The woman actually shot at him though it didn't hit him. She couldn't do that! He'd just come at another time when this crazy lady wasn't around. Hiroto turned tail and ran the hell out of the apartment complex and back to his house.

Ashlynn had just finished getting dressed when she heard a gunshot in front of her apartment. She quietly opened the front door and looked over the railing. Dolly was by the stairs reloading her prized shotgun.

"Dolly? Is everything okay?" She called down. Dolly looked up to her and frowned.

"I was walking home from the grocery store and this guy was following you from the bakery. I just told him I'm going to get a restraining order against his ass on your behalf."

"H-he followed me?" Ashlynn paled when Dolly nodded again. She shook her head, well; maybe she wouldn't go to Tsuna's tonight. Not unless one of the boys would come and escort her there and back, sure she had a lethal weapon on her person but it would make her feel a lot better if she had someone with her.

Dolly went back to her apartment and Ashlynn went back into her own as well. Tomorrow she would go and invest with a electric coded lock and she would see if she could have her windows and her back door reinforced.

Today had not been a very good day for her.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn walked over to the Sawada household after work with a cake box Saturday afternoon in a bit of a sour mood. One of the things she wished she could go without in Japan was the extra day of school every week. She explicitly missed only having schooling five days a week over the six days in Japan. Her poor weekend had been cruelly cut to one measly day!<p>

The morning had been tiring but well productive as it had been the first day that Yamamoto and Gokudera joined Ashlynn and Tsuna's training in the mornings. At first it had been quiet like it normally was when Ashlynn and Tsuna trained since it was really early and Yamamoto and Gokudera were still too sleepy for their regular banter.

Yamamoto was able to keep with all of the exercises that she showed the two newcomers and had known the majority of them already and what muscles they worked out. It wasn't until Ashlynn tried to ease Gokudera into a splits stretch that he fully woke up and basically flipped out from the strain on the thighs. From then on the boys were more lively and focuses, not to mention that Yamamoto was laughing every now and then to himself which pissed off the smoker (though not as much as when she told him that he who be running extra laps for every cigarette he pulled out) because he thought that the baseball fanatic was laughing at him.

Ashlynn certainly was but she managed to conceal her mirth when she was within line of sight.

The rest of the training regime was spent with a lot of running and stretching and Gokudera trying to pick a fight with Yamamoto. All in all there was progress and they would see about racing each other later on without weights to see how much a boost of speed the gained. They split up after that and Ashlynn left to go to take a shower before work and found a note from Dolly along with her old world phone and was happy to find that it was now working. Another piece of news was that Dolly had succeeded in placing a restraining order on Tenma but it couldn't really do anything while they were in school. Basically he was not allowed near the apartment complex.

During work, as promised, Fukano-san had a talk with the other employees that her job was in the back baking, and they had their own jobs to do. If they wanted a change then they should come to her and they would talk it out. But Fukano-san did warn her that there had been another employee that Hibari would order from without biting them to death. It was an elderly woman who had moved away years ago. Hibari had forgotten a few times that old woman didn't work there anymore and had gone through the shop looking for her, biting anyone who got in his way to death.

…Well then, that wasn't really a problem for her, so long as it wasn't Tenma that didn't come in trying to look for her. Best case scenario, he'd think she had quit or had been fired and all she would really need to worry about is that she had classes with him and he knew where she lived. Now, in case that Hibari decided to look for her at work, there would be shortbread and coconut juice within sight and reach.

"Gyahahaha! If you want, you can become the Great Lambo's subordinate!"

Ashlynn looked over to see Lambo walking with Irie Shoichi who was holding a crate. Hmmm. Well it was certain now that she was in the manga time line and not the anime time line. Because in the manga, younger Shoichi was introduced before Ryohei, Hibari and Dino. This was a good thing because she was much more familiar with the manga.

"I think I'll pass." The red head boy replied and shifted the crates weight in his arms. Lambo frowned but was appeased when he saw Ashlynn waiting for the two. He climbed up unto the boy's shoulder and began wildly waving his hand towards her.

"Aneue! Aneue! Look! Look I have a new subordinate!"

"I said I didn't want to be a subordinate. I just want to drop this crate off and go back home. Are you his sister? Could you take him from me?" Shoichi whined.

"I'm not related to Lambo in any way. This is the first time that he has called me that. But if you're going to the Sawada's then I'll walk with you. My name is Ashlynn, what's yours?" Ashlynn said to the boy. It was mostly true, of course. It was the first time that the five year old Lambo had called her his older sister. It was sweet.

"E-eh? Oh, I'm Irie Shoichi. Nice..to meet you." He mumbled.

Ashlynn went right through the gates in front of Tsuna's house, Lambo had barreled right through to go find Nana. Noticing that Shoichi wasn't walking beside her, she turned to see him peering over the corner, shocked eyes at Bianchi. In a bikini on a lawn chair, Reborn was sitting in a chair next her sipping from a juice box. Shoichi took out a cell phone. "Hello, Mom! There's a lady in a bathing suit sleeping in the yard!"

Ashlynn shook her head amused. "Reborn, this is Irie Shoichi. He brought Lambo back home and wanted to return the crate that someone had dropped off at his place. A note said that it was from the Bovino family."

"Eh? You're Reborn?" Shoichi asked. 'He looks nothing like I had imagined him to be. H-he's a little baby.'

"Ciaossu. The Bovino family sent it to your residence, so you keep it. Maman is just letting him stay here." Reborn hopped up to Ashlynn's shoulder."Besides, it's from the lower standard Bovino family. I certainly don't want it." He continued.

"Oh, o-okay then. I'll let my mom know that." Shoichi dialed his home number again. When he got a hold of his mother he explained the situation and then left the property. Ashlynn smiled, she had saved the boy the trauma of being shot at by Bianchi trying to kill the older Lambo. With Reborn on her shoulder she went into the house and presented the cake to Nana before leaving herself back home.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn waved as Ran left the school's campus to meet her Aunt for a shopping trip and was about to leave for home herself before she stopped herself at the sight of the little green chameleon sunbathing on the wall next to the school gates. Ashlynn slowly reached her hand out a lightly gave Leon's head a little rub.<p>

"Hello Leon, Where is Reborn?" She asked the chameleon. Of course, she had a good idea where he was but had asked anyway. The chameleon blinked its eyes at her before scurrying down the side of the wall and a few paces down the side walk. It appeared that he wanted her to follow. What a smart little reptile. Ashlynn smiled, Leon was so cute!

"Okay, Leon. I'm following."

After every few feet or so Leon would look back to her; at least she thought that he was looking at her. And she followed until she was at the gates of Namimori middle school where she saw Gokudera, Yamamoto and Kyoko walking towards one of the outside classrooms. Leon climbed up to perch himself at the top of her hair as she jogged forward to catch up with the three underclassmen that were going to go watch Tsuna's sparring match with Ryohei.

She didn't notice the person stare with curiosity from the school's upper story windows. Nor did she see the person peering around the school gates with a camera.

"Hey Ashlynn. Have you come to watch the Juudaime's match as well?" Gokudera threw out the stub of his finished cigarette. Yamamoto waved to her with a smile and Kyoko looked curious at her appearance no doubt.

"Is that what's going on?" Ashlynn asked. "Leon here picked me up from school, he's such a nice guy." She motioned to the chameleon who was settled in her hair.

Kyoko cooed at the reptile. "He is very cute. My name is Sasagawa Kyoko; it's nice to meet you Ashlynn-san. I hope we get along well." Ashlynn nodded and the four entered the club room where they saw a baby with an elephant hat who claimed he was the esteemed Mater Pao Pao. It seemed that only Ashlynn and Tsuna knew that it was Reborn in disguise. He just told Tsuna to have a sparring match with Ryohei and that Tsuna should be a little stronger.

"Juudaime! You can do it! I believe in you!" Gokudera cheered.

"Ha ha! Don't lose, Tsuna!" Yamamoto laughed happily.

"Good luck Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko smiled, she was happy her brother was happy.

"Eh! They're all here!" Tsuna cried.

"Come on Sawada Tsuna! There is no need to hold back your strength! Let us fight honorably to the EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled happily with a smile. Both he and Tsuna were wearing shorts and head gear. When the bell rang he immediately went forward with a punch that knocked Tsuna off of his feet.

"Come on! Don't be careless Sawada!" Ryohei yelled down at Tsuna.

Ashlynn felt Leon scurry of her head and towards Reborn where he transformed into a revolver, ready to fire the dying will bullet at Tsuna. Tsuna noticed as well and immediately covered his forehead. If he got shot he would be reborn and beat up Kyoko's brother and hate him for it!

"Fnn. Fine, then how about this?" Instead of firing at Tsuna, Reborn shot the dying will bullet at Ryohei's forehead.

"Hieeek! Why did you shoot at him!" Tsuna screamed alarmed.

"Because it would be fair if both of you were shot." Reborn, or Master Pao Pao, answered.

Ryohei stood up, a flame blazing on his forehead. He looked down at Tsuna. "What's wrong Sawada? Can you get up? If you can stand up then we shall fight some more to the EXTREME!"

"Huh? N-nothing happened?' Tsuna wondered. 'But if nothing changed when he was shot with the dying will bullet then…!.. If you shoot the dying will bullet at someone who is already willing to die it doesn't work!'

"Sasagawa Ryohei. Is an impressive one." Reborn remarked. Ashlynn nodded, even she had been reborn when she was shot.

"Next up is you Dame-Tsuna." Reborn quickly shot the bullet at Tsuna's brow.

At that point Tsuna had regretted, not making a scene at the sparring match, but his inability to reject Kyoko's older brother's invitation to join the boxing club…"Reborn! As if I were to die, I will reject the offer to enter the boxing club!"

"Oh? I won't ask the details why…Since I believe that true men can speak with their fists! Enter the boxing club, To the EXTREME!" Ryohei began his attack.

"No!" Tsuna dodged out of the way of the fist at his head.

"Able to dodge my "EXTREME straight punch"! I like you even more and all the more reason to have you join Sawada!" Ryohei called and rushed at the other boy.

"No! Must! Refuse!"

The spar had brought awed looks from the rest of the boxing team surrounding the boxing ring.

"Whoa! He is dodging all of Sasagawa-senpai's 'Extreme Rush'!"

"Just who is that guy?"

"Sugoi!"

Yamamoto grinned. "It's amazing that Tsuna can dodge all of that, but that kind of rush isn't something an ordinary person could ever pull off. It's like the skill of an assassin."

"I REFUSE!" Tsuna threw a punch and knocked Ryohei out of the ring and out through the wall of the building. Ashlynn ducked just in time to be taken out with the boy. Oh No! I beat up Kyoko's brother! Now she'll never want to speak to me ever again!

"That was amazing Sawada! I like you even more now! You're boxing skills are like Platinum to the Extreme! I'll definitely welcome you into the club!" Ryohei announced dropping down on one knee. He was smiling widely. Kyoko knelt down next to him.

"Oh, Onii-chan, you look so happy!" She smiled.

'What? I'm liked even more?' Tsuna looked shocked.

"I like you too, Sasagawa Ryohei." Reborn declared confidently. "Instead of Tsuna entering the boxing club, do you want to join his family, Pao~n?"

"Hieeek! Don't do a random scouting here!" Tsuna yelled.

"Haha that was a good fight Tsuna!" Yamamoto congratulated.

"Of course it was a good fight you baseball idiot! It was the Juudaime showing that punk his place and that you can't force the Juudaime into anything he doesn't like!" Gokudera scoffed at Yamamoto.

Tsuna sweat dropped. If only then, if he didn't have to be forced by Reborn to train to be a mob boss. He really didn't want to become a part of the mafia.

Ashlynn placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulders. "It was very impressive Tsuna. You're more quick on your feet now. Looks like those runs are beginning to show fruition, huh?"

"Y-yeah."

"Sawada! I shall see you tomorrow to the extreme!" Ryohei called out then turned to face Reborn who was still dressed as Master Pao Pao. "Thank you Master for coming all the way from Thailand to witness our spar. And yes, if Tsuna will not join my club, then I shall join his family to the EXTREME! Thank you for your invitation!"

"What! No! And I didn't invite you!" Tsuna cried.

"We'll see you tomorrow Tsuna-san! And thank you for making Onii-chan very happy." Kyoko said before the two left for home. Tsuna sighed in defeat; at least Kyoko-chan wasn't upset with him at all.

"Fnn you did well Dame-Tsuna. Today the four of you are excused from running tonight." Reborn who was now dressed back in his suit and fedora with Leon resting on the top. Yamamoto smiled, Tsuna and Gokudera sighed in relief, Tsuna because he could actually catch a break and Gokudera really didn't want to be forced to do another split. Ashlynn frowned; she didn't want to go off course from her schedule. Reborn gave a small smile. "It is important to rest every once in a while, so your muscles can heal before training them up again."

"Alright." Ashlynn nodded her ascent to the baby hitman.

"You three should start walking her home when it gets dark." Reborn said to the boys but he was looking towards the window out of the corner of his eye.

"Eh? Why?" Tsuna asked.

Yamamoto gave a smile in understanding. He had seen the guy as well. "Because you shouldn't let a pretty girl walk home all by herself when it starts to get dark out. You never know what could happen, Haha." Gokudera nodded in agreement.

"That's really not something you should laugh about, Yamamoto." Tsuna cried, his mind was already in overdrive about what could possibly go wrong. He didn't want that to happen to his friend.

"That's right; you need to take care of your family, all of you." Reborn nodded before leaving the clubroom and the school grounds. Right now, the boy wasn't being too much trouble but was making the female Vongola member very uncomfortable and stressed. But she was handling the situation rather well and also had thought of her safety. He had seen her buy new locks for her windows and door and he had made sure that they were of the top line and that she didn't know that she had got them greatly discounted.

"Thanks guys, really." Ashlynn said to them when they were walking out of the school gates. She was very very glad that Reborn had told them to walk her home, she felt a lot safer in a group. She blushed a bit; Reborn and Yamamoto had called her pretty again.

"Is there someone bothering you Ashlynn?" Tsuna asked.

"The guy/fucker that followed her here with a camera." Yamamoto and Gokudera said at the same time. Tsuna looked at her shocked.

Ashlynn shivered. "He had a camera? What a creeper!"

Yamamoto patted her hair. "You don't have to worry anymore! I'll give you my phone number that way you can call anytime you need someone to walk with you."

Ashlynn smiled and she had got all three of the boy's numbers and the very stern instruction from Gokudera that she had better call if something was wrong (he didn't want to have Tsuna be bothered or so he said).When she waved goodbye from the safety of the apartment complex Ashlynn smiled. It was heart-warming to have them do this for her. She didn't have her real family anymore, but now she had them. She had Dolly and her daughter, Birdy and she had the new generation of the Vongola as her family.

* * *

><p>The last few days had been...Surprisingly peaceful, to say the least. Ashlynn spent her time training with the boys in the morning before walking with them to their school before she would meet with Ran at the high school gates. Fortunately they had not been bothered at all by Hiroto, which was nice, but very suspicious. Especially since the other day he had followed her and he had a camera.<p>

After school she would either go to Ran's place where they'd do homework and play two player fighting game or she would go to work. She wasn't having any problems working at the bakery, but that senior female worker did glare at her a few times and Ashlynn was sure that the other girl had called her a bitch in passing because she wasn't allowed to switch duties with anyone anymore. Then after work she would drop by Tsuna's house with some kind of snack. When it would start getting dark outside one of the boys would walk with her and make sure that she got home safely.

Today was a no work day and Ran was helping her Aunt around the house, so Ashlynn wanting something to do other than lazing around on the couch went straight to Tsuna's after school. Nana had told he, Yamamoto and Gokudera they could let themselves in and didn't need to knock on the door every time. When Ashlynn entered through the front door and shut it behind her, she moved a few steps to the side when she saw a man standing in the middle of the stairs be smacked with a purple poisoned cake to the face and fall backwards down the steps.

Had she said it had been peaceful earlier?

Ashlynn looked to the figure at the top of the steps. "Hey Bianchi. Nice shot."

Tsuna rushed out of his room with Reborn perched on top of his head. "What's going on! Who's that being the victim of poison cooking?"

Bianchi flipped her hair over her shoulder as she stepped down from the stairs. "It's been a long while since I had last killed for the betterment of this world."

'Really,huh? I've got another few people in mind that it would be the betterment of the universe if killed.' Ashlynn thought with a wistful smile.

"You! Bianchi, please don't kill anyone in the house!" Tsuna screamed.

Reborn smirked not missing a beat. "So if she brought him outside then it would be okay?"

"Hiieek! No! The neighbors might see!"

"Such a tomboy as ever," The man pinched the corner of the wrapping and pulled the mess off of his face. "That's how a woman should be. It proves that she has no problem in taking care of herself. And it makes me love you even more!" He jumped up and planted a kiss on Bianchi's cheek before she pulled off a spiral kick on hi m and he catapulted across the room and slammed against the flooring. Ashlynn whistled impressed. and wondered if Bianchi could teach that to her.

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "W-who is that person trespassing? I don't know him, is he a burglar?"

"That is the doctor I was talking about earlier. I called him all the way from Italy. He is Dr. Shamal." Reborn explained.

"Whaaaaa? That's him?" Tsuna cried.

Shamal flipped back onto his feet and reached for Bianchi again. 'Now, now, there's no reason for you to be so shy my sweet Bianchi. Come on, how about a real nice kiss on the lips? Chuuu."

"You're such an asshole!" Bianchi slammed another dish of poison cooking into his face.

Reborn pointed at the fallen man on the ground." That's him alright. As you can see, he really likes women and he's a kissing freak."

"Reborn, can a guy like him really cure an incurable disease? I mean, is he really a doctor? He doesn't really seem like one to me." Tsuna covered the side of his mouth and whispered to the hitman.

"Of course, he has taken very good care of me as well."

"Eh? You had an incurable disease and he healed you?"

"I'm not so weak as to get a disease so easily but he was the man who took me from my mother's womb."

"Hieeek! What? He delivered you?" Tsuna screeched. "Well, I guess I could see that happening. How old are you anyway?" Reborn ignored him.

Ashlynn shook her head. 'I call bullshit, Arcobaleno.'

Reborn jumped off of Tsuna's head and caught the man's attention. "Shamal, this is Tsuna who has the skull disease and needs your help to cure it."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's the reason you called me out here." Shamal said as he approached Ashlynn. "I'm very sorry; I seem to be oblivious to my surroundings. Excuse me, I shall now examine you right away."

"That's alright, but I'm not Tsu-" Ashlynn took a step back and tried to explain but it was already too late. Shamal placed his hands on her breasts and squeezed. Ashlynn's eyes widened in shock before she narrowing dangerously. She grasped his forearm and twisted both of her hands in opposite directions about the man's arm. Shamal gave a startled yelp of pain and released he chest and tried to pry her hands off of his to stop the massive Indian burn he was receiving. It wasn't until he had dropped onto his knees and begging her for mercy did she finally let him go. Ashlynn glared at the perverted doctor in front of her. Of course she knew his character and his quirks but she had hoped that he wouldn't feel up an underage girl, which she was. She scoffed and crossed her arms as she went to stand by Bianchi.

"Ouch, you know how to give a really good Indian burn, sweetheart, it's still burning quite painfully. But I gotta say it was worth it. You've got a wonderful pair of breasts on you, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, you don't have the skull disease." Shamal winced and tenderly rubbed the reddening skin on his arm.

"That's because she isn't Tsuna. This is Ashlynn and that, 'Reborn pointed to Tsuna. 'Is Tsuna, which is short for 'Tsunayoshi'. He is the young heir to the Vongola family." Well he really hadn't meant for that to happen, since Ashlynn already had a problem with a male being too forward with her.

"Eh, but I thought 'Tsuna' was a girl's name. Reborn, you know that I don't examine boys." Shamal whined.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat!" Tsuna wailed.

"Whatever, I'm out of here. See ya." Shamal turned to exit the house.

Tsuna scrambled after him. "What? You do that to Ashlynn and now you're going to leave me to die for a reason like that?"

The older man scoffed. "What do you mean by a 'reason like that'? There is a really big difference, kid."

Tsuna looked down at his arms, the skull disease had spread onto his arms with more embarrassing secrets. He jumped and pulled Shamal around the stomach to stop him from leaving. "No Shamal-san! please! Help me! I don't want to die yet and especially not in this sad state too!"

"Hey!" Shamal yelled at Tsuna. "Guys aren't allowed to give me hugs! That really creeps me out! Stop it! I've examined a million patients from all around the world. And not a single one of them were male. No exceptions were made either, not now, not then, and most definitely not ever. Give it up kid, you're gonna die."

"Poor you. Ha-ha. " Bianchi laughed at him.

"You're enjoying this aren't you Bianchi?"

"Bianchi-chuuuun!" Shamal puckered his lips and pranced towards Bianchi who only kicked him away again.

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Kyoko with an armful of books in her arms. "Hello, are you busy, Tsuna-kun?"

"K-Kyoko-chan?"

"My brother doesn't want to give up on having you join his boxing club. So, he told me to come over and bring some boxing books to look through." Kyoko lifted the books up to eye level. The girl looked at Tsuna and saw the markings on his arms. "Tsuna-kun, do you do body painting? May I see them?

"Oh?" Shamal looked over to Tsuna and Kyoko. He quickly appeared by Kyoko's side and wrapped an arm around the girls shoulder. " Hey, you are very cute. Lemme give a nice kiss."

Tsuna stepped in between Shamal and Kyoko with arms spread. "What are you some kind of animal? First Ashlynn and Bianchi and now Kyoko-chan? Don't you go any closer to them!"

"Huh? Why does it matter to you , kid? It has nothing to do with you and you're going to die real soon anyway. You have about five minutes to live." Shamal pointed at him blandly.

"Ha-ha, he keeps saying funny thing, what an amusing man, neh, Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko giggled. Ashlynn brought a hand to rub her temples, why was that girl so painfully oblivious?

Shamal puckered his lips. 'See? she likes me and I will get to kiss her soon."

Ashlynn waved Kyoko over by her and Bianchi. "He's not funny at all Kyoko, he's a pervert. Best to stay as far away from him as possible."

"Eh?"

Tsuna grabbed at his hair. 'No! If I die now then Kyoko-chan, Ashlynn and Bianchi will be victims of Shamal's perverse practices! No! That...I can't ever let that happen! Not to them!...If I knew this were going to happen, I should have...I would have defended them as if I were to die...'

"It looks like Tsuna...is planning to go into the dying will mode through sheer will. This is interesting...and about time too. "Reborn murmured.

"ROARR! Protect the girls from the pervert as if I were to die!" Tsuna roared, his shirt flew off of him.

"Ha-ha! Now Tsuna-kun is saying funny things...Wow, a lot of things are written-" Kyoko said completely oblivious to what was going on around her.

"Going into dying will mode and having all my secrets exposed, that's equally embarrassing!' Tsuna dropped down and hugged his knees.

"Geez, Tsuna, You are a loser with no guts. You couldn't pull off being in full dying will state by yourself." Reborn criticized.

"I know! I'm the loser king of all losers! I am going to die as Loser Tsuna! Just leave me alone-!" He cried.

"Alright, alright, fine. I'll cure you. There isn't much time left so put your shirt back on, kid. 'Shamal sighed. He led Tsuna back upstairs with Reborn and Bianchi following them leaving Ashlynn and Kyoko in the front room.

Ashlynn sighed heavily and slid down the wall and began to run her fingers through the strands of her ponytail.

Kyoko tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion. "Hmm? Is there something wrong Ashlynn-chan?"

Ashlynn shook her head before lifting herself form the floor. She wondered for a moment if she should explain what was happening with Tsuna and his involvement in the mafia, and that it wasn't all just a game."Just leave the books here for Tsuna and I'll walk with you home Kyoko. This has been a very long half hour." That was a total understatement; still, she was a bit proud of herself for handling the situation rather well, in her opinion. And she was glad that Flaithri had taught her how to make the effects of an Indian burn hurt faster and a lot longer.

"Oh, okay then." Kyoko smiled sweetly. "You haven't been by before so why don't you stay awhile?

* * *

><p>"Alright, Birdy gets out of school at three o'clock and she knows that she is supposed to wait for you to pick her up. You do know where Namimori Elementary is, right?'<p>

'Yes Dolly, I know where it is, Everything is going to be fine. I have your cell number and I know all of the emergency numbers."Ashlynn said, she was sitting on the trunk of Dolly's car, she was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a yellow baby-doll t-shirt with a black rose printed on the front and she was wearing a bunch of bracelets on both of her wrists. It had been a half day at school and Dolly was about to leave town to go to court and was going through everything she thought that Ashlynn needed to know.

Dolly picked up her blue duffel bag and tossed into the back seat. 'I'll be gone-"

"For the next week and will be back next Thursday evening. After school, Birdy is to do her homework and her bedtime is at eight thirty." Ashlynn recited from memory with a smile.

Dolly threw a small towel in Ashlynn's face. "Smart-ass. There is one more thing to remember Niamh. Birdy has an allergic reaction to bees that could potentially kill her. So, if she gets stung you need to get her immediately to the hospital. And if that happens I want you to call me. I don't care what time it is or if you think that I'm busy. I want to be updated, got that?"

Ashlynn nodded seriously, then threw the towel back at Dolly. 'I got it."

"Alright, I'm heading out now. Be good, stay out of trouble and no parties. Keep your phone charged too."

Ashlynn slid off of the trunk and gave the older woman a mock salute. "Aye aye Capi-tan."

Dolly rolled her eyes. "You're still a smart ass"

Dolly got into the drivers seat and pulled out of the parking lot and rove away. Ashlynn waved until she could no loner see the vehicle. She turned to go back to her apartment. She'd probably do a load of laundry then laze around for the rest of the day.

"Ciaossu Ashlynn."

Or maybe not.

Ashlynn turned back around to see Reborn standing behind her. "Ah? Hello Reborn."

"We are going to set up a hideout for the family. Will you come with me to Namimori middle?" Reborn asked.

'Time to meet Hibari.' Ashlynn nodded and picked the hitman up into her arms and made her way to Namimori middle in silence. But when they arrived at the schools gates, Reborn jumped out of her arms and disappeared from view. Well, that was just great, now what was she supposed to do? She had no idea where the reception room was. She wasn't a part of the original casting, nor did she have a script that she could read off of.

"Omnivore."

Never mind she found a cue she could work with.

Ashlynn turned her head to face the approaching prefect. "Hibari-san, good afternoon."

"Have you come for a fight Omnivore? I will bite you to death." Hibari raised a tonfa in her direction.

"If you wish to then that's fine with me But the reason I cam here is because Reborn plans to use the Namimori Junior reception room as a mafia headquarters for Tsuna's family." Ashlynn replied evenly. 'At my current level, I wouldn't be able to have a match with Hibari and get away without having my ass seriously kicked.'

"The Herbivore and his pack? How foolish." Hibari lowered his weapon, turned his heel and briskly walked towards the school's building. Ashlynn immediately followed after him. It was lunch time at Namimori Middle and she got a lot of stares as she walked slightly behind Hibari. one) she was walking with Hibari, and two) she wasn't in a uniform. The students quickly parted out of the prefects way and whispered conversations started up the moment they had ascended the stairs.

Hibari stopped at the at the reception room and looked in before entering. "It seems that the watchdogs were of no use."

Ashlynn slowly crept forward and peered through the open door. Inside was a group of the Namimori Junior Disciplinary lying beat up on the floor., Gokudera and Yamamoto were with Reborn drinking coffee. She could also see a pair of feet popped on one of the couch's armrests. 'That must be Tsuna right there.'

Gokudera had his attention on Hibari. he inhaled the smoke from his lit cigarette. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Wait, Gokudera..." Yamamoto warned the smoker. 'That guy. I know who he is. He is the leader of the Disciplinary committee: Hibari Kyoya. I he has someone he doesn't like, no matter who they are. He'll beat them up with his Tonfa.'

"Smoking on campus is against Namimori Junior's school code of conduct. You will put it out." Hibari swung a tonfa and it cut the cigarette in Gokudera's mouth in half.

"You bastard!" Gokudera yelled as he whipped out dynamite from his shirt. "This is now the headquarters for the Vongola family. Take this chance and get lost!"

"Family huh? What sort of foolish crowding is that?" Hibari raised his tonfas. "Explosives are not allowed on campus. What other rules have you been breaking? I will bite you to death for each one."

Ashlynn was still standing by the door to the room. She had yet to be noticed by either party and she didn't see what good announcing her presence would do. So far the best option for her to take was to go sit by Reborn who was watching the boy's confrontation. She decided that was the best.

"Bastard, I'll kill you!" Gokudera shot forward. Hibari darted out of the way of Gokudera's strike and swiftly slammed the tonfa across the boy's face.

"That's one." Hibari counted as Gokudera crumpled to the ground. Hibari then ran forward to attack Yamamoto who dodged out of the way. "Are you injured? You seem to be protecting your right hand." Yamamoto stiffened at the remark.

"Oh, You are in the baseball club? Bingo.' Hibari kicked at Yamamoto's right side and arm sending him flying against the wall. 'That's two."

The commotion seemed to finally wake Tsuna up because he sat up from his spot on the couch his attention quickly grabbed by the prone figures of his friends. "G-Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto!"

Hibari set his eyes on the boy and stalked forward. "They won't wake up. I made sure to hit them so they wouldn't."

Tsuna's face paled. 'He beat both of them up...and I'm next!'

Leon transformed into a gun and Reborn shot a bullet at Tsuna. "Die."

"Roooarr! I'll beat you up as if I were to die!" Tsuna jumped to punch at Hibari.

"Oh? What's that? A gag?' Hibari asked as he uppercut Tsuna with a Tonfa. "Did I crush you chin, Herbivore? I'll have to beat the other two up more so they can use an ambulance. Hrm?"

Tsuna raised himself from the floor and punched Hibari across the face then smashed his fist on top of the other boys head.." I wasn't finished yet!"

Hibari wobbled a moment before looking up. "Hey...Can I kill you?"

Reborn sat up from his seat. "You are strong after all, Hibari. But that is enough for now, it's not polite to fight in front of a lady."

Hibari stared at the baby hitman. "I don't know who you are, but I am very much irritated right now. Would you sit back down and wait for me?" Hibari raised a tonfa and striked at Reborn who parried with a blade that Leon transformed into.

"Wao. You're amazing."

Reborn smirked and held up an explosive. "It's time to leave now, Ashlynn."The explosive blew up the room. Leon transformed into a hot air balloon with Ashlynn and Reborn in the basket, the boys were clinging to the ropes hanging from the basket above them. Reborn lowered the transformed Leon into the pool area.

"That went pretty well, you might be able to call Hibari on as an ally or a member of your family now, Tsuna." Reborn announced.

"Wha? You intentionally made us meet him?"

"Ashlynn has previously met him before and she has earned a bit of respect from him. But you three, it was a dangerous bet and you're lucky that you got to leave with only bruises and scratches." Reborn explained.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Tsuna asked totally confused.

"It was also a real-battle training so that you won't be to used to peace. Actually engaging in a battle is the best way to hone your skills." Reborn jumped back into Ashlynn's arms.

"What? What are you talking about? I mean, what are we going to do now? I'm sure that guy is going to have his eyes on us now!" Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head in despair.

"Don't worry Juudaime! I'll send that creep flying next time!"

"Hibari will surely be a useful ally in the coming future." Reborn murmured, Ashlynn nodded her ascent.

Ashlynn checked the time on her phone and found that she would have to leave to go pick up Birdy from school. She waved goodbye to the boys and left with Reborn who decided to accompany her.

* * *

><p>It was the weekend and Birdy was at one of the other neighbors that Dolly trusted to take care of her daughter, while Ashlynn went to work, she had decided to wear a light blue short sleeved sundress that went to her knees, since it was nice enough out to actually wear the thing and she put on all the bracelets she was becoming known to wearing.<p>

There was a very large order for crumb cake. So she was left with another employee to bake cakes then crumble them onto batter to cook again. She worked in silence except for the small radio that someone had brought for the bakers use. She didn't know the stations well enough so she let the guy working with her choose what channel to listen to.

This went on until she was about more than half way done with her quota. Both she and the male worker with her paused when they heard a plate crash in the next room. Then a scream followed by more screams of the employees in the front of the bakery. The male employee left to go see what was happening in the other room. Ashlynn's eyes widened in realization and she quickly brought out a pan that was keeping warm in one of the spare ovens and she opened up the fridge and brought out a pack of beverages and put both of the items on the table closest to the door and rushed back to her station and back to work.

She was just in time when the door opened.

"You were not in the front, Omnivore."

Ashlynn took out the finished pans of crumb bread from the oven and placed them on a cooling rack then inserted more pans to be baked. "That's because when I originally applied for this job, I was to work baking, not selling. One of the senior workers tried to control my schedule."

Hibari took a piece of the shortbread that had been laid out on the table and took a few bites. It was silent for the following minutes. Until the prefect's phone went off.

"Midori Tanabiku, Namimori no~~"

Ashlynn gave a small smile at the boys ring tone and continued working.

"Very well, you will owe me another favor, baby. Omnivore we are leaving." Hibari announced before walking down the hallway to Fukano-san's office. Ashlynn shrugged and hurriedly cleaned up and wrote a note that the next batch of crumb cake was supposed to be pulled out in another twenty minutes. She took off her apron and hung it on the rack

from the door to the middle of the room, her fellow employees were lying on the ground, beat up and groaning. Hibari walked past her and through the entrance with Ashlynn following him to the motorcycle that was parked on the side of the road.

Ashlynn instantly regretted not wearing shorts under her dress as she settled on the bike behind Hibari and he sped off into the streets.. That and she hadn't asked where the hell they were going. But he had said something about a favor and baby so...Reborn? It seemed she guessed right when they were driving down the street where Tsuna parked the bike next to the gate on got off the bike. He stepped onto the brick wall surrounding the Sawada property and grabbed on to the gutter and pulled himself onto the roof. Looked like he was going to enter through Tsuna's bedroom window. She looked down at her dress then back to the prefect staring at her from the roof.

"Yeah, you're funny." She laughed a bit sarcastically then she went to go through the front door of the house and quickly went up the steps, she gave a smile to Nana and Lambo on the way. She entered Tsuna's bedroom the same time Hibari opened the window.

"Yo."

"Hieeek! It's Hibari-san! Please don't enter the house by the window, use the door!" Tsuna cried. He was still in his pajamas. Yamamoto, Gokudera and Haru stared at the prefect that had jumped in from the window sill and the unmoving body on the carpet. Reborn nodded to her in greeting.

"I didn't come here to play with you guys today. I cam here so that the baby owes me another favor. A deal of sorts." Hibari announced as he looked at the body.

"We were waiting for you, Hibari, Ashlynn." Reborn chided.

"Eh? Ashlynn is here too? " Gokudera asked and the other three looked behind them to see Ashlynn leaning against the wall by the door. Haru frowned and quickly clung to Tsuna's arm and stuck her tongue at Ashlynn who rolled her eyes at the gesture. She went to stand by Gokudera and Yamamoto

Hibari kicked the body so that it was now laying on his back. "Hmm. Good job, you got the heart in one shot. Ok" Hibari looked to Tsuna. " I'll have the corpse disposed of for you."

"Whaaaaat! What are you saying?" Tsuna wailed.

"It means that he will get rid of the body so it can never be found again. That way this murder never happened." Reborn explained.

"That's wrong in so many different ways!" Tsuna yelled.

Hibari leaned against the window sill. 'I will send someone from the disciplinary committee later."

"You are going to use the committee to cover up a murder?" Tsuna slumped to the floor.

The door to the bedroom opened to reveal Shamal. "Geez, what's with all your yelling? You know that that's not going to make want to look at the guy. He's a guy, he's dead and..." Shamal's face lit up as he pranced forward. "Ashurin-chuuun!" He pulled Ashlynn backwards into a hug with his hands fondling her breasts once again.

"Shamal you will let go of me or do you want another Indian burn?"Ashlynn threatened as she moved her hands once again over Shamal's forearm. The man squealed and back pedaled away.

"Ashurin-chan, you don't need to be embarrassed because I'm hugging you in front of your friends. But then again your so cute!" Shamal reached over and pinched her bottom.

Ashlynn whipped around and grabbed the man's arm and twisted the skin. "You better stop that Shamal. And why are you butchering my name? And another thing, If you so against treating male patients then why don't you have a partner who could take care of the patients that you scorn?"

Shamal fell to the ground in agony. "Ow! B-but it's so worth it, and Ashurin sounds really cute. Ow, ow, ow, ow! I normally work by myself...Oh!...Ashurin I know what you're really asking. Do you want to be my nurse? You can wear a really cute uniform~ aaraghh! Owwwww! Ok, I give I give! Please! Please let go! I'm sorry!"

"Heh, you deserve it for being a pervert Shamal." Gokudera scoffed at the doctor. Haru nodded from her spot by Tsuna, Hibari looked on in approval as the man grunted and begged for her to gave another nice, for her, twist on Shamal's arm making the already hurting man squeal a little more before she released him. Of course, to herself,Ashurin did sound a little cute and that was how some people in Japan sounded out her name. But there was no way that she would actually want to be called something that he decided was cute to call her. Shamal pouted then retreated out of the bedroom.

"Hrm, a member of the committee will be here son. see ya, Herbivores, baby, Omnivore." Hibari stepped around the group and went towards the door.

Tsuna looked up alarmed."No, Hey please wait! Hibari-san!"

"Juudaime! Please move aside! I cannot be at peace, until I take this bastard down and get revenge for the other day. Perish!' Gokudera yelled as he threw dynamite at Hibari, disregarding the fact that it wasn't a very big room, and there were many people inside.

"You shouldn't be so eager to live Herbivore." Hibari smacked the dynamite away from him and also away from Ashlynn who was also by the door with a tonfa. He grabbed Ashlynn's arm and pushed her out of the room as he left the room and shut the door, leaving the rest to the blast.

"Thank you Hibari-san." Ashlynn thanked the prefect.

He nodded before going down the stairs. "You owe me a favor now, Omnivore Ashlynn."

Ashlynn nodded and opened the door to Tsuna's room and peered inside. Looked like no one was seriously hurt in the blast. The supposed dead man was standing on the opposite side of the room as everyone else.

"Are you ok, Juudaime?" Gokudera fussed.

"Hahi! The body is gone!" Haru pointed to the place that the 'dead' man had laid.

"Man, I thought I was really going to die right there." the 'dead' man spoke.

"Hieeeeeeek! He's revived!" Tsuna screamed.

Ashlynn shook her head. "No, he's just turned into a zombie."

"It's nice to meet you, Juudaime. "The man greeted with blood dripping from his mouth. Tsuna and Haru backed away from the man.

"This is Moretti, he is a professional in being assassinated. He can use a technique called 'Addio' to stop his heart at will and can achieve a state of apparent death. Moretti is a specialist loyal to the Vongola family." Reborn introduced.

"Eh? S-so you weren't really dead? O-or a zombie?" Tsuna asked.

"Nope, he was playing dead. It's like a special technique of his. "Reborn explained.

Tsuna turned his head towards the hitman. "But... I...I heard the gunshot..."

"That was a blank I fired. I put the gun in your hands after that." Reborn smirked.

Moretti smiled. 'Of course the blood was fake as well, and earlier I was pretending to be a thief to make the situation more realistic. It's not every day I get to visit Japan, so I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to perform 'Addio' for the Juudaime. I'm glad that I did it! It was a lot of fun!"

"There are other ways of showing that to me, you know! ...But, I'm glad." Tsuna cried then sat down heavily and Haru followed suit. "I can't take much more of this . I'm so tired."

Yamamoto smiled happily. "Man, this guy is Hilarious! Hahaha!"

Tsuna didn't even have the strength to be angry.

* * *

><p>The young teenage girl glanced up from over the top of the book she was reading and directed her gaze towards the kitchen area where she could see that her Grandmother had stopped shuffling around with her pans. The young woman raised an eyebrow at her elder's actions as she took a hold of a quartz necklace tied to a leather strip around her neck then as if shocked the older woman reached into one of the many cabinets and pulled out some items that the girl couldn't see.<p>

Deciding not to bother with any questions she returned to her book and began to read again. It was best not to stop her Grandmother when she was in a mood like she was now. She probably had some sort of vision and was responding to its contents in a way she knew best. Also if she was to know about the vision than Grandmother would tell her and if she didn't then she had no involvement to whatever the woman saw so there was no need to but her nose in.

After another fifteen minutes of preparation the elderly woman left the confines of the kitchen and its hearth and made a beeline towards the small shrine they had constructed over the fireplace, dedicated to the Triple Goddess: The Maid, The Mother an The Crone.

The girl tilted her head curiously and shut her book and laid it on the coffee table and watched the other woman go into another cabinet and brought out the most potent incense they owned and brought it to the shrine and lit three for each Goddess, she also removed her quartz necklace and placed it in front of the incense

"Seanmháthair?" She called.

The older woman carefully kneeled and clasped her hands together in front of her heart. "Your sister sends her love, child. She has paid the price and become what I had seen so many years ago. A Caomhnóir."

She gasped and jumped to kneel with the woman in front of the shrine. She couldn't help the tears that sprang from her eyes but didn't bother to wipe them away. "Ashlynn."

* * *

><p>Utsukushii and Sekushī na = basically, it's beautiful and sexy in Japanese<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**"I like a man that grins while he fights."**

**-Winston Churchill**

**"If all of those wishes I've made on Birthdays, dandelions, and shooting stars come true, I'll probably be married fifteen times, be a movie star, meet Harry Potter and Santa, and have a million dollars. I'm not sure if this would be weird or awesome."**

**-Maglet**

* * *

><p>"So you have Birdy-chan staying with you for a while? Wow, you're really responsible aren't you? I can't imagine myself looking after a six-year old. Hell, sometimes I can't even take care of myself." Ran asked as she and Ashlynn walked to Namimori Elementary from their High school to pick up Birdy from the Elementary.<p>

Ashlynn switched her schoolbag to her other hand. "It's only for another few days. Dolly called me last night and said that she was going to be home earlier than she had planned. As for being responsible, well, hey at least I try to be."

"Ha-ha, yeah, you're right!" Ran laughed.

The two turned around the corner of the Elementary school to see Birdy waiting at the gates. The younger girl perked up when she saw them and rushed down the sidewalk to meet them. Ashlynn picked up Birdy and settled her on top of her shoulders.

Ran smiled. "Mah, did you have fun today at school?"

"Yep! This morning Nee-chan braided my hair." Birdy motioned to the two dark plaits that were pulled to rest on her shoulders. "It's not like how Ka-chan does it, but that's ok. We played Red rover Red rover during recess today."

Ran laughed happily. "Wow, Red rover huh? I remember when I used to play that game as a kid. I still do actually when I'm able to make it to a convention. Two teams full of cosplayers playing in the grassy area calling out the character names of the cosplay…well, until one time the sprinklers came on and everyone scattered then after a few minutes they went off so we continued our game. Then the sprinklers come on again! And the—Hmm?" Ran looked at her bag; a small tinkling sound was coming from one of the pockets. Ran's eyes widened as she pulled the straps open and reached for her cell phone. "Jeez, I left the sound on…I am so lucky that it didn't go off in class. I need to go home now, so I'll see you later ok? Ja ne!"

"See ya."

"Ja!" Birdy called after the older girl.

Ashlynn crossed the street over and began walking back to her apartment with Birdy happily chatting away about what else had happened during her class; the two crossed more streets and came up to pass by Namimori middle school gates. Ashlynn paused when she heard Tsuna's familiar shrieking. Birdy looked down at her with a curious look which was not noticed.

"…I thought you were going to introduce me to the person who would be Lambo's babysitter!"

Ashlynn smiled knowingly. "I know the person who just yelled. Let's go say hi and introduce him to you, okay?"

"Hai~."

Ashlynn entered the school gates towards the group in front of the school building. Yamamoto looked towards the two and waved with a smile, Gokudera nodded in acknowledgment, Tsuna was whispering to Reborn who was explaining to Tsuna about a possible babysitter.

"That is what I have done, Dame-Tsuna. Since you are going to be the boss, it is only natural to have a member of your family to look after any persons under your care and protection. Imagine what would happen if you had employed someone and they were a spy."

"I get that! But I'm not going to be the next boss! Besides why did you send for these guys!" Tsuna yelled.

Reborn ignored his student and looked up at the two females that had approached. "Ciaossu, Ashlynn and Birdy."

Tsuna whipped his head to see the girls; he hadn't noticed them come near. 'Birdy? That's one of the names that Ashlynn had mentioned before…This is Birdy?'

Yamamoto took Ashlynn and Birdy's bag and laid them on a nearby bench next to where he had left his own things. "Did the kid call you out too, Ashlynn?"

"No, I was just picking up Birdy-chan from the Elementary. I heard Tsuna when we were walking nearby and decided that I would introduce you. Guys, this little lady on my shoulders is Cross Suzume. She is the daughter of my landlady and likes to be called Birdy. Birdy-chan this is Yamamoto, Gokudera, Reborn, and Tsuna." Ashlynn pointed to each boy respectively. The boys greeted her and Birdy gave a shy little wave from her perch.

Yamamoto laughed and reached over to pat Birdy on the head before patting Ashlynn's hair as well (It seemed to be a habit he had with her, she noticed). With the combined height of Ashlynn and Birdy sitting on her shoulders, they barely towered over Yamamoto. "Ha-ha, you're really cute!"

Birdy hid her face behind Ashlynn's head before peeking back out; she moved her legs and asked to be let down. The group looked over when the window next closest to them was slammed open as the cow-printed child leaned over the edge. "Gyahahaha! Lambo-san boldly enters the fray!"

Gokudera scoffed. "Look at this annoyance. Someone who pissed his pants in public should stay out of sight. That way you don't embarrass anyone that knows you."

"Y-You're wrong! I only pretended to do that, Stupid-dera! You shouldn't be so easily fooled, Baka!" Lambo blushed a heavy red before regaining his composure and blew raspberry in Gokudera's face.

"You asshole~ Looks like you'll need to be punished before you learn anything." Gokudera seethed at the child. Ashlynn frowned, sure she wasn't exactly a saint and sometimes a curse would slip, but she made sure that she didn't do so in front of an impressionable child. She would be having a talk with the boy about this.

"Oh." Lambo pointed behind the group. "What's that over there?"

Gokudera was the only one that had looked towards where the child pointed. Lambo quickly reached over and punched at Gokudera's eye. "Only real idiots look!"

"Gya!" Gokudera kicked Lambo in the face making the little assassin fall off. "Go and die you little shit!" Yamamoto had to hold back the disgruntled boy so he wouldn't follow up on his attacks.

"Let's start the compatibility test with babysitting Lambo, then, shall we?" Reborn announced.

"Eh, a test, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked.

Ashlynn walked over and picked up the crying Lambo and began swaying back and forth, Birdy looked up at the child in her Nee-chan's arms and reached to pat his foot. "My name is Suzume but I like to be called Birdy. You're name is Lambo, right? Do you go to the pre-school? I haven't seen you with the kindergarten kids or the other first years at the Elementary."

Lambo sniffled. "Lambo-san's name is Lambo of the Bovino family. Lambo doesn't go to school. Lambo-san is on a dangerous mission from his Boss to defeat Reborn. And when Lambo-san defeats Reborn Lambo-san will then take over the world and everyone will bow down to Lambo-san and Lambo-san will be the greatest and eats grapes and sweets whenever he wants."

Reborn smacked the back of Tsuna's legs causing the boy to screech. "You just saw how Gokudera and Ashlynn interacted with Lambo. And Yamamoto seems to like all children. Now we shall consult the very stars above…"

Reborn suddenly was dressed as a fortune teller, with dark blue robes and a long white beard. He was seated at a small table with a crystal ball and a stack of what looked to be Tarot cards. Tsuna gaped while Ashlynn and Birdy watched on curiously. Lambo had calmed down and rested in his Aneue's arms. Yamamoto and Gokudera believed that now in Reborn's place was a new child.

"I am SEANÁN, the great teller of the constellations. Come forth and I shall reveal to you your fortune!"

"Haha! How cool! I'd like my fortune!" Yamamoto requested.

Seanan/Reborn hovered his childlike hands over the glowing crystal globe in front of him. "Yamamoto, Ashlynn and Lambo are under the Taurus star sign, your element is that of the Earth and your ruling planet is Venus. Your horoscope is: You can tackle an overdue issue head on this week, but be assertive, not aggressive in your approach as you go about making your changes. Do not sit back and wait for someone else to make the first move."

Yamamoto gave a thoughtful look at the fortune while Ashlynn found that it was pretty accurate to her current anime situation. Perhaps this was a sign that she shouldn't stay on the sidelines anymore.

"What about me Great Seanan?" Gokudera pushed forward.

"Gokudera…You who were born under the sign of Virgo, your element is that of the Earth and your ruling planet is Mercury...Your Horoscope is this: It is important to push through to what you want to achieve in life and not be dictated by other people. But beware; for there is always someone with an attitude who can think up every possible negative reason why you cannot succeed."

Gokudera's eyes quickly flashed towards Yamamoto's direction. "Baseball idiot! I knew that you would try to prevent me from my goal! You better not even think of trying to make me believe I can't become the Juudaime's right hand man!"

"How is this going to help find someone who would look after Lambo?"Tsuna wondered.

Seanan/Reborn looked up at him. "It doesn't."

Tsuna gaped. "You mean all that was pointless! Then why did you bother!"

"I am sorry Juudaime, but I cannot be his babysitter, so I'm going to pass on this. I really can't stand the brat." Gokudera apologized.

"Ha-ha, what kind of game are we going to be playing now?" Yamamoto asked.

Reborn was back in his normal attire; he shook his head. "Right now it is really between Ashlynn and Yamamoto. Both are great with young children and are responsible. I would like to point out now that the babysitter for Lambo will also become the Boss' right hand man."

"Geh! Right hand man? No way!"

Ashlynn looked over from where she was standing with Lambo and Birdy. Lambo had become bored with all the talking. He jumped out of Ashlynn's arms and pulled out a hand grenade from the void that was the child's afro.

"Die, Reborn!' Lambo threw the projectile at the other assassin. Reborn smacked it back and the explosion blew up at Lambo. After a few moments of shock he began to sniffle before outright wailing.

Reborn pointed at the crying child. "Whoever can make him laugh first will win this contest."

Tsuna laughed. "Reborn, there is now way that they will compete to…"

Gokudera looked seriously at Yamamoto. "I will not allow myself to lose against the likes of you. Today is the day that I will clear things up and become the Juudaime's right hand man as I rightfully should be."

"Right on. Then I will also compete to win if we're doing this."

Ashlynn and Birdy watched as the boys fired themselves up for their competition. Birdy looked up to the Ashlynn beside her. "What are they doing?"

Ashlynn patted the girls head. "They are going to see who can make Lambo laugh. Whoever can do so will get to be Tsuna's right hand man." She watched as Gokudera slowly approached Lambo and reaches a hand down to the child.

"Oh…What does a right hand man do?"

It was Reborn who answered. "The right hand man is the Consigliere and is the legal face of the family and sometimes acts as the family's lawyer. He, or she, acts on the behalf of the Boss and the family. The right hand man is the only person allowed to argue with the Don if he believes that the Boss' decision could potentially destroy the family. Right now Tsuna is what is called the Capo Bastone/ Sotto Capo, which is the Underboss. He will inherit the Don title if the current Don is…unavailable…Also since the Vongola family is the most powerful, Tsuna will become The Capo di tutti Capi, the Godfather of the family's allies."

Gokudera offered his hand for Lambo take. "I am very sorry about earlier. Let's make up and be friends, okay?"

Lambo reached over and placed an active grenade without a pin in Gokudera's hand. The boy quickly threw the explosive away from him and reached forward with his hands to choke the smaller boy making him foam at the mouth. Ashlynn rushed forward and pried his hands off and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Gokudera! Enough!" She angrily boxed the boy's ears. "That is no way for you to treat a child! Can't you see how much bigger you are than him, that alone should stay your hand." She turned and placed herself in front of Lambo and stared down the boy in front of her challenging him to argue with her.

"Hmm, definitely not Gokudera. Yamamoto, you're up next." Reborn ordered. Yamamoto nodded and slowly approached Lambo who was hiding fearfully behind Ashlynn's legs.

"Yamamoto seems to be the one that children like. How he integrates with Lambo will be worth seeing."

Tsuna sighed. At least Gokudera hadn't really hurt Lambo, but Ashlynn still looked really mad at him and that hit really looked like it hurt, Gokudera was still rubbing the back of his head and his ears. He watched as Yamamoto grabbed his school bag and brought out a baseball and a glove. He showed the items to Lambo, who looked up interested. Ashlynn looked wary but had returned to where Birdy and Reborn were standing. Gokudera took a place by Tsuna well away from Ashlynn.

"Have you ever played catch before?" Yamamoto asked, he gave the glove to Lambo and explained. "Here, you use this to catch the ball when tossed to you. Then you throw it back to me, okay?"

Tsuna began to relax. 'Yamamoto is really clever… he's going to teach Lambo how to catch and Lambo is showing interest too.'

Yamamoto went a little ways away from Lambo then called out. "Get ready!"

"Okay!" Lambo placed the glove in front of him. The thing was almost as big as his head.

Yamamoto had a gleam in his eyes as he tensed then pitched the ball hard to the Bovino. The fast ball slammed into the glove that Lambo had in front of his face, it hit his face and fell away from the boy. Lambo dropped the glove before falling to the ground in tears.

"What!" Tsuna screamed. 'W-what happened!'Ashlynn grimaced and even Gokudera had cringed. Birdy looked at Yamamoto in awe with a little blush on her cheeks.

Yamamoto ran forward apologizing. "Wah! I'm so sorry! Once I get into that position I forget to restrain myself!"

"T-to think that even Yamamoto has a terrifying side to himself…" Tsuna gaped.

Gokudera crossed his arms with a smirk. "Heh, this is the first time that he's done a job so well."

"What on Earth do you think you're doing!" They all watched as Haru entered through Namimori Middle's school gates. She was pointing at them in rage and shock.

"Hiiiieek! Haru! What are you doing here at Namimori? Are you transferring to our school?" Tsuna asked.

"No! I came here for the inter-school gymnastics competition. And just when I finally saw Tsuna-san, his subordinates are making little Lambo-chan cry!" At this Haru pointed at Ashlynn. "Look! She even brought another child to be bullied! Subordinate-san, how could you be so cruel! Tsuna-san you must fire her immediately!"

Birdy tilted her head in confusion as the girl she didn't know was yelling and pointing at Nee-chan. Birdy began to frown, this girl wanted Ashlynn to be fired? If Ashlynn was fired then she wouldn't be able to pay rent for her apartment then she would have to leave and then she would never be able to see her Nee-chan ever again!

Ashlynn sighed tiredly. Why did Haru need to make everything more difficult then it needed to be? And she was still calling her 'Subordinate-san'. If the girl didn't stop soon then the name was going to stick.

Haru knelt next to Lambo and picked him up and squeezed. "Lambo-chan, are you alright? Is that evil, mean girl picking on you?"

Tsuna whispered to Gokudera" Haru…In the gymnastics team…?"

Gokudera gave a thoughtful frown. "I don't think it's possible to imagine…She seems really clumsy."

Haru stood up with Lambo squirming in her arms and she loudly announced. "You bad person! Making an innocent child cry!"

Yamamoto interrupted trying to explain. "Actually…It was me…"

Haru ignored him and continued. "Haru will never forgive anyone who bullies Lambo-chan!"

"She seems quite fit to be cow's babysitter…" Reborn remarked nonchalantly.

"I agree." Tsuna nodded.

"What? Then she gets to be Juudaime's right hand?" Gokudera whispered.

Lambo began to cry again as he desperately tried to escape from Haru. He grabbed the purple ten year bazooka and fired at his face.

"Hahi!" Haru screamed as she and Lambo were enveloped in smoke. When it cleared she was carrying a fifteen year old Lambo in the air by his waist. Haru's eyes widened as she slammed him on her knee before quickly retreating to hide behind Tsuna. "W-who are you!"

Lambo groaned in pain on the ground. "Why is it always so painful when I come back ten years in time?"

Tsuna stared, why was Haru so shocked…"Oh, that's right…Haru hasn't met the Lambo from the future…"

Birdy looked at the male that was on the ground. First Reborn had changed and the others except Ashlynn and Tsuna hadn't recognized him. Now Lambo had shot himself with a bazooka and this older boy appeared in his place. And the girl who had declared that she wouldn't stand for anyone hurting Lambo but she had hurt this Lambo.

The older Lambo got up and approached Haru who was beside Tsuna. "It's been a long while, dear younger Haru-san…"

Haru looked at the boy in front of her. He had his shirt open showing off his chest. She screamed as she slapped him across the face. "Hahi! Ero! You hentai! If you don't button up your shirt, I am going to report you for public obscenity! This whole thing is perverted!"

Lambo looked shocked as he touched the mark on his face and said weakly. 'But…it's for fashion…you know...I …I think it would be best if I left…" Lambo began to walk towards the gates of the school.

Yamamoto picked up one of the horns that had adorned Lambo's head. 'Hey! You dropped a horn!" He called out to the retreating boy.

Lambo waved his hand, tired. "Oh, thanks. Just toss it here, will you?"

"Here you go!" Yamamoto pitched the horn making it smack into his face. "Wah! I'm sorry! I did it again!"

"Lambo!" Tsuna cried.

Lambo dropped to his knees into a cross-legged position and began to cry. Ashlynn walked forward with Birdy following after her. She brought the older Lambo into a hug soon followed by an embrace from Birdy as well.

Lambo sniffled. "Thank you Aneue. Hmm? This is the younger Birdy-chan… Thank you." Birdy nodded; she was right then, it was still Lambo.

"You know, it would probably be best if Tsuna looked after Lambo." Reborn remarked.

"Hiiiie! That was your plan from the start wasn't it!" Tsuna yelled.

Smoke surrounded Lambo again as he switched back places with the younger Bovino member. He found himself being hugged by his Aneue and Birdy-chan. Birdy looked thoughtful before reaching into her uniform pocket and pulled out a small candy and gave it to Lambo.

"Gyahahaha! Candy! Candy!" Lambo gobbled up the sweet.

Ashlynn smiled. "What do you say Lambo?"

"Eh? Thank you, Birdy-chan!"

"Fnnn. Well it looks like Birdy was able to make the cow laugh. So she wins the competition and gets to be the next right hand for the boss." Reborn pointed out.

Gokudera dropped the cigarette that he was about to light. "What!"

"Reborn! I don't want her involved in the mafia! She's just a kid!" Tsuna argued.

He was ignored, Reborn faced Birdy. "Would you like to join Tsuna's family, Birdy?"

Birdy looked at the baby that shouldn't be a baby and smiled. "Tsuna-san will be my new big brother? I can call him Tsuna-nii now?"

At Reborn's nod she gave a yes and a hug for Tsuna who sputtering and trying to refuse.

"What are you Herbivores doing on campus?"

The group watched, most in fear as the Hibari walked over. He looked over the pack seeing the baby and the Omnivore that he wanted to fight, the herbivores that attended his school and a female from another school. He brandished a tonfa in Ashlynn's direction.

"Omnivore, consider your favor to me fulfilled. We shall have our fight today." He declared before advancing to strike. Ashlynn jumped back as she reached for her chakram bracelets as the rings were still in her bag, and parried the first strike with one of her own.

Haru frowned at the display of violence in front of the small children present, so she herded the to the small playground that she had seen previously on the side of the building. The little girl had protested until Tsuna (Who Reborn said was the Boss so she had to listen to him) had said it was alright, and then she reluctantly left with the girl who wanted Nee-chan fired and Lambo.

"Reborn-san, I noticed that the bastard calls her Omnivore, but he calls us herbivores…Why is that?" Gokudera asked they watched the two trade blows with each other. Ashlynn was lasting a lot longer than he had when he had gone against Hibari when they went to take the reception room. It hurt his pride a little that Ashlynn was keeping up with an opponent that he had troubles with.

"It was when Ashlynn had walked home from Tsuna's home after I was first instructing her how to use her chakrams. She had been ganged up on by some thugs on the way home. She was aided by Hibari and she had earned a bit of respect from him by keeping her composure in battle."

"Hiiiie! She was able to fight after one lesson?" Tsuna exclaimed.

Reborn nodded. "Yes, better than what you have shown thus far, Dame-Tsuna. But then again, Ashlynn has had training before she met me."

Ashlynn swiped her leg low trying to trip Hibari only to be unsuccessful. She was really starting to hurt from the boy's attacks. Sure she had been training rather diligently with her weapons; but she wasn't anywhere remotely near to Hibari's level with his tonfas. But so far she hadn't had any bones broken and she was still conscious, so that had to count for something. Ashlynn spinned a chakram around her wrist and bounced it onto the ground and back up between her and Hibari making the prefect to retreat a few steps back. She deftly caught the handle of her weapon before looking at Hibari. It worked! Yes! She had been working on that little trick for a while now.

"Wao."

Ashlynn smiled, before trying to block another hit from the prefect. Their fight had caused some members of the disciplinary committee to stand to one side, not in a group to watch of course. There were also some various club members that had come out to see what the commotion was all about. Many watched in shock as some recognized Ashlynn from before and how she was fighting with Hibari and how well she was surviving despite the many bruises and marks on her.

It was when a scream pierced the air that Ashlynn's guard had dropped. That was Birdy who was screaming. Hibari's tonfa smacked across her face and another hit to the stomach that knocked her off her feet.

"Sorry Hibari. We're going to have to finish this later." Ashlynn called out as she retracted the blades, ignoring her bloody nose and ran toward the side of the school building where Haru had taken Lambo and Birdy, she was followed by Hibari rushing after her, he didn't want to end the fight there. He was followed by Tsuna, Reborn, Yamamoto and Gokudera.

Ashlynn found Haru panicking over Birdy trying to find out what was wrong. She moved the girl out of the way and took Birdy into her arms. "Birdy-chan, what's wrong?"

Birdy gasped crying and pointed her forearm. "A...a bee stung me, Nee-chan! A bee!"

Haru shook her head. "Is that all? That's not a big deal. You'll be fine Birdy-chan, we'll just take the little sting out."

Ashlynn glared at the younger girl, she pinched the little stinger with her thumb and forefinger and removed it from Birdy's arm before hoisting the girl into her arms. "It's a very big deal because she's allergic to bees!"

Haru and many of the others had paled at the information and parted ways for Ashlynn to pass them by as she ran to get to the gates and down the street towards the direction of the hospital clinic. After a few blocks of running she heard an engine roar and found Hibari on his bike riding next her. Running closer to the where he was driving she grabbed onto the seat behind Hibari and jumped onto the bike with Birdy in her arms. Ashlynn held on tighter to Birdy as Hibari sped them through the streets of Namimori.

Hibari parked the bike on the sidewalk next to the building and led the way through the double doors and straight to the receptionist that immediately stood when she spotted the prefect. "Hibari-san!"

"This child has an allergic reaction to bees. She was stung earlier; you will have the doctor look at her immediately." Hibari ordered the woman.

" R-Right away, Hibari-san!" The receptionist picked up a pager and called for one of the doctors on hand to inform that Hibari was in the hospital. Within moments a male doctor asked them to follow him, asking for information. In one of the rooms he had Ashlynn set Birdy down on the bed and had the two leave the room.

They were shown to a waiting room where they found Reborn, Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto waiting for them. Yamamoto walked forward and handed her Birdy's and her school bag. "You kind of forget them when you left. Haru left to take Lambo back to Tsuna's mom."

Ashlynn nodded in thanks and pulled out her cell phone and dialed Dolly's number.

"What do you want?" Dolly's voice came on the other line.

'Dolly, it's me. I…" Ashlynn was cut off by the voice mail message from Doll's phone instead of Dolly herself. She sighed, she had forgotten about the little message that Dolly had put on. It always tricked Ashlynn into thinking that it was actually Dolly speaking and not the voice mail.

"If it is important please leave your message after the beep….Beep."

"Dolly, its Ashlynn. In the hospital right now, Birdy got stung by a bee. Call me back when you get this, okay?" Ashlynn hung up the phone with a sigh before turning to Hibari who was at the door. "Hibari-san. Thank you."

He nodded stiffly before leaving the room. Ashlynn took a seat in one of chairs and looked at the boys who were still there. "Thank you guys, but you don't need to stay if you don't want to."

Reborn jumped up and sat on Tsuna's head. "You are a part of Tsuna's family and as of today, so is Birdy. You will not be left alone while either of you are vulnerable."Ashlynn nodded with a small smile when the other three nodded, agreeing with Reborn.

It was another hour and a half before Dolly called and she had explained what had happened, then another thirty minutes before the doctor had come to the waiting room with Birdy in his arms "You got her here fast enough that she doesn't need to stay the night here. Just make sure that she drinks plenty of water and that she doesn't strain herself for the next few days." He handed Birdy who was starting to nod off into Ashlynn's arms. "And this," He gave Ashlynn a small bottle of medicine. "Have her take one of these twice a day for the next week. It's a just in case precaution."

"Thank you."

The doctor nodded before leaving to go back to work. Ashlynn settled Birdy and went to pick up her bag before Yamamoto reached out and took their bags instead. He shook his head. "I'll walk you two home today."

From the hospital to her apartment wasn't as far as it was from Namimori to the hospital, so the three made it to her home without any trouble. With a thank you to Yamamoto for walking them he left, she managed to get Birdy to eat a little bit before she put the girl to bed. Ashlynn sighed as she called Dolly again to tell her that she and Birdy were home and that tomorrow she would excuse Birdy from school for the next couple days. She was restless for the rest of the night.

Ashlynn barely managed to get a few hours of sleep before she had to get up in and all she wanted to do was skip school and lay in bed. The reason? She was badly injured from her fight with Hibari. With the adrenaline from the fight and getting Birdy medical care she had completely forgotten about the state of her own body.

Needless to say she hurt like a bitch.

She had seen the dark bruises forming on her arms and legs and what appeared to be a large dark red welt mark on her poor tummy. But that didn't nearly hurt has much as her face was. Ashlynn had crawled painfully out of bed careful not to jostle Birdy who was in bed with her still sleeping. A look in the mirror made her make a slight grimace. Even facial expressions were proving to be very painful. With a couple pain relief pills for the migraine and some salve for the bruises that she wrapped up rather clumsily and a few band-aids to rest on her face, she went to one of the neighbors, Takara to watch over Birdy while she was at school. She didn't bother to even try to attempt her workout. Which was alright, none of the boys had come to her home that morning.

School. Well that certainly had been a fun day for it. Ran had completely freaked out when she saw her at the gates and had immediately but gently interrogated her for details. Ashlynn not wanting Ran to pick a losing battle with Hibari told her of when she had been walking home and some guys ganged up on her and she had been helped by the prefect of Namimori. It wasn't a total lie since it actually had happened. Other than Ran no one else at the school had made a fuss over her. And this had included Tenma which she was glad for.

That night Dolly had come home and she had looked over Birdy before sending her off to bed. Then she had sat down Ashlynn in front of her and waited with a bland look…and Ashlynn decided cut her losses and began to tell the older woman about how she met Reborn and then Tsuna who was being trained albeit against his will to become a mafia boss for the Vongola family. How she had met Gokudera and Yamamoto, how she had competed with Yamamoto in the entrance test to the family, and that Reborn and the ninth boss had gifted her with chakrams and instruction on how to use them.

Dolly had been completely silent until Ashlynn had finished her story and that had worried her a bit until the older woman cuffed the top of her head before bringing her up into a hug. "You stupid, stupid girl. I know that you are not from this world and I can bet that none of those boys know about that. And yet you try to hide this from me? I am a grown woman Niamh; I am perfectly able to take care of myself and Birdy."

Then Dolly had demanded to meet Reborn, Tsuna and his family; mafia and otherwise. There seemed to be an instant spark of friendship between Dolly and Nana, and Bianchi too, though Dolly wasn't too impressed by Gokudera's behavior. Anyone older than then was an enemy? It took the combined efforts of Yamamoto laughingly holding the boy back, Ashlynn explaining that she trusted Dolly wholeheartedly and Tsuna pleading for him to stop. Obviously when Tsuna asked Gokudera to stop he did, albeit grudgingly.

Dolly seemed to accept the rest of the group; Kyoko was a sweet girl, her brother Ryohei was a bit loud but polite, she was amused with Yamamoto mostly because Birdy had developed a little crush on the boy. Haru, while she was eccentric, Dolly also did not appreciate how quickly she jumped to conclusions and hoped that she would grow out of the habit. Hibari…well he wasn't really officially apart of the family, and Ashlynn was relieved that Dolly hadn't pushed to meet the prefect. To Ashlynn's surprise, Dolly hadn't really reacted to Reborn's…stature in height...and age. Even more surprising was that Dolly had warned the hitman if anything happened to her (Ashlynn) or Birdy; she would be out for blood. With a smile at the statement, Reborn had invited her to join Tsuna's family with loud protests from the said boy.

"You have already recruited Ashlynn who is like another daughter to me and you have convinced Suzume to join you as well. You would be insane not to allow me to look after my own children." From then on Dolly was involved with Tsuna's mafia family.

During Ashlynn's work shifts, nothing really happened except Hibari had taken it upon himself to pay for his purchases at the cash register, biting people in the front of the shop to death, depending on how many were there and how that affected his mood. Then he would make his way to her work station to have shortbread and coconut juice while he watched her work. It was unnerving as hell. But he hadn't bothered her to finish that fight that had been interrupted and she hadn't said anything about it. Fukano-san thought it was charming of Hibari to come see her while she worked and Ashlynn had to explain very slowly and firmly that, No, they were not dating. However she didn't say anything to the other employees about that fact, she would let them continuing to think so.

So long as it made them leave her she would take advantage of the rumor but if she was confronted directly then she would deny any such relationship with the boy.

* * *

><p>Summer vacation is only about a week in Japan. This was one of the most disappointing things that had ever happened while in Namimori. She was so used to having summer vacation after school ended not smack dab in the middle of it. Ashlynn was reminded why her brother Flaithri only came back for a week during those summer months while he was part of the student exchange program.<p>

Still, it was hot as balls no matter how much she cranked the air conditioning, bought two ice cube trays to make more with her ice dispenser, and she went with Ran as much as possible to the pool.

At least she got to got to the summer festival with Ran (The two girls had been saving up extra cash to splurge). The other girl's Aunt let Ashlynn borrow one of her old yukata since Ran's wouldn't fit her since Ashlynn had a larger breast size than her friend. They had met at the shrine then Ashlynn and Ran wandered about the different stalls and spending money on whatever caught their fancy.

In one of the booths they found a vendor selling jewelry made from gemstones and many other pieces from sterling silver. Ran pointed to one of the ring designs on display. " Is this some kind of new design? There are hands holding a crowned heart."

"Oh? Scooch over." Ashlynn moved over to see what her friend had pointed out. "I recognize it. It's called a Claddagh. When its worn on the right ring finger with the heart pointing to the fingertip, the wearer is free from any attachment, when the heart is pointed towards the palm it means the wearer is romantically involved and when the ring is on the left hand wedding finger it means the person wearing the ring is engaged or married. Most of them are passed down from generation to generation like an heirloom."

"Huh? And you memorized all of that?" Ran smiled.

Ashlynn grinned sheepishly. Of course she would have it memorized. When Grandma Aine wanted you to memorize something you sure as Hell memorized it. "My Grandmother passed hers down to my mother and she still has it."

"Well then, I think I'll buy it. But let's look around here a little more."

Ashlynn grabbed the girls shoulder. "Then let me buy the Claddagh for you. It's bad luck to buy it for yourself."

"Really? Then I'll buy one for you if you'll buy mine."

Ashlynn agreed with the compromise and looked around some more before she settled on the bracelets much to Ran's amusement and she asked why Ashlynn never seemed to own any necklaces.

"There was an accident when I was little. I had a necklace that another girl wanted to have and she was always trying to steal it. One day she grabbed at it from behind me and tried to break the chain off. Well she she was definitely stronger than me but not enough to break the chain. She kept tugging at the other end nearly choking me to death in the process before the teacher noticed and grabbed her away from me. Ever since I have never had anything tied around my neck."

"...oh...sorry for bringing it up..."

Ashlynn shook her head as her eyes settled on a pair of gemstone chip bracelets behind a glass barrier. "It's alright. Excuse me Oji-san? May I see these two right here?"

The man in charge of the booth stepped forward to see what she was pointing at and asked if she wanted to try them on. She put on the beads of the black stone first and rubbed her finger lightly over the surface. She looked closer at the pieces and found that some of the beads had other colors mixed with it. In some there was brown, others had white specks and the last ones were either fully black or had little specks or tints of other colors. "Obsidian?"

"That's right. There are chips of of the different types. Pure obsidian, mahogany, rainbow, and snowflake."

Ashlynn tried on the other and smiled at the light pink, periwinkle blue and camouflage like green chips in recognition. "The three Angel stones. Magano calcite, Seraphinite, and Angelite."She looked up to the owner of the booth and asked to purchase both bracelets and a Claddagh ring. She assured the man that she wanted the bracelets even if they were a bit pricy since they were real stone chips.

Ran joked when they left the booth that Ashlynn probably knew the meaning of the new bracelets that Ashlynn had put on next to the chakram bracelets while they exchanged the Claddagh rings and placed them on to mean that they had no romantic attachment before they wandered again towards the smell of the nearby food booths.

They celebrated the short summer week without a care in the world.

* * *

><p>There was a funny little saying Ashlynn remembered reading somewhere that was about school. During the summer break the student had said, "I miss my friends I want to go back to school." Then when school came right back around the same student said, "Screw my friends; I want to go home."<p>

Only she was happy to see Ran more often. She was not happy however, that she would see Tenma as well. When she had asked Dolly who she had shot at had looked like, the description fit her stalker perfectly. It was unfortunate that Dolly had only shot the gun next to the boys feet and not actually hitting him.

Wow. All she wanted was the guy to leave her alone. Yes he was a complete asshole, but should she really wish physical harm on him. Did that make her a terrible person? She got her answer when she walked into the classroom with Ran. Tenma had brightened like like Christmas and his Birthday had happened on the same day when she walked through the door and walked to meet her at her seat.

Oh, yes she wished Hell on the guy. And while that harm was taking place, a nice kick to groin would save a very lucky girl from his contamination to the gene pool. So, she consoled herself with the thought and that she was not a bad person for thinking of such things on a fellow man.

Tenma smiled when she approached. "Hey Ashlynn, I was wondering if I could walk you home today?"

Ashlynn glared, after his jokes at her where she worked (she heard from Boss Lady that he had asked for her and one of the Senpai told him that she still worked at the shop. The guy had taken to calling for her from outside one of the windows looking out back.); did he honestly think that she was interested? And asking to walk her home? No doubt to get her alone with him! "Seriously? You are going to play that way? I have told you Tenma-san that I have not given you permission to address me that way. No, I don't want you to walk me home. No, I do not want to be anywhere remotely near you. Please. Leave. me. alone!" Ran nodded her agreement.

Tenma's smile faded a bit. What was with this girl and playing hard to get? Before now, girls would have swooned before him. He was irresistible to the female species and he knew that. She should consider herself lucky that he was spending so much time trying to get to know her.

"I'm not sure what game you are talking about babe or why you're trying for the hard-to-get act. I want to have a relationship with you. Do you want me to be nicer to Hiraoka? Fine. I'll be nice even though she's a lesbian."

Ashlynn took a deep breath to calm herself and give a reminder that she couldn't fight the guy. "Tenma-san there is a big difference between playing hard to get and actually being hard to get. I am not going to negotiate this matter. Now please leave."

Ashlynn turned her attention to a teacher that she hadn't seen before. Were they going to have a new homeroom? The woman was bland just like the others.

Hiroto returned to his seat. It would take a little more time with Ashlynn. She couldn't play hard to get forever. Eventually she'd give in to him, he could be patient, so for now he'd lay off, but before that he'd like to have a few pictures of the girl who was playing around. He'd have to do something about Hiraoka soon. It'd be best if he could somehow separate the two and make them hate each other

"Alright class, my name is Kansen Mai; you may call me Kansen-sensei. You're homeroom teacher won't be making it for the next week. So for now you'll be joining me with another few classes in the auditorium for cleanup, leave your bags here. We'll be having auditions for a play in two weeks time. Okay? Alright everyone let's move."

Ashlynn and Ran walked arm in arm to the auditorium they were assigned the job of sweeping up the front of the stage then take out all of the chairs from the orchestra pit out so that could be cleaned. Ran looked up from sweeping

"Are you going to try out for a part in the play? I think you'd be really good at acting."

Oh Ran had no idea. It was really difficult not to tell that she was really from another world where this one was an anime series. It was really, really hard not to tell Reborn everything she knew of what was to happen. She had to remember to let the characters she knew to introduce themselves so as not to make them suspicious of her and she had to watch what she said. So far, she hadn't let anything slip. And she really wished that that comment come back and bite her in the ass.

"I probably won't because practice or the performance could land on a day that I work or something. If I can I'll come to the production but I won't be a part of the actual performance." Ashlynn said sweeping trash into a dustpan. 'Like what if practice fell on a night where we'd have to fight Mukuro or fight in the ring battles.'

Ran looked around her a moment before yelling out. "Where's a garbage can?"

Ashlynn and Ran both jumped when a small trashcan was dropped from the ceiling a few moments after the question. Ran looked up to the ceiling in awe.

"Is god granting wishes? I would be forever thankful for a girlfriend that would love me and not care for sexual preferences. Preferably three inches shorter than me. Other than that I don't have any preferences that I can think of. Thanks."

"Ran, you make it like you're ordering from a takeout restaurant." Ashlynn smile before she too looked up to the scaffolding in the auditorium completely serious. "God, I'd like a boyfriend that I could be friends with and not be an utter douche bag that would only want me for a sexual relationship only to leave me when he finds someone who appears more attractive than I am (I know I'm kinda plain looking). Bonus points if he can make me laugh. I don't have any preference for looks."

Ashlynn and Ran looked at each other and laughed. Of course it wasn't God in the scaffolding, but someone from the group replacing and cleaning the stage lights above them. It didn't stop them for wishing for their 'order' for a relationship. After yelling thanks to the group above them they threw out the collected trash then began to take out the chairs from the pit. Luckily they hadn't been confronted by Hiroto the entire day. Ashlynn was sure that he hadn't given up yet but was biding time. Well, she wished he would give up but she needed to be prepared just in case he tried anything.

With summer months passing by into autumn Ashlynn found herself surprised when she looked at the calendar the afternoon of October thirteenth. Not surprised what the date was just the realization that she had been in anime Namimori for seven months.

So much time had passed it was crazy. She had spent the time with only one friend in high school (which had bee unusual), training and hanging out with Tsuna and boys, and working.

* * *

><p>It was October thirteenth and Ashlynn crossed the date off the calendar on her fridge before she left for her bedroom to change into something nice for the evening. A nice purple blouse and a white frilly skirt with black flats and fixed up her hair, then placing two very important cakes from her fridge into their respective packaging and two little gift bags one in orange and the other yellow, before meeting Dolly and Birdy in front of the apartment complex where Dolly took one of the parcels as they made their way to Tsuna's.<p>

When the three arrived it was Bianchi who let them inside, Birdy was allowed to go find Lambo and play while Ashlynn and Dolly followed Bianchi into the kitchen to put down the cakes. Bianchi had raised a brow at the extra packages but shrugged it off when Nana entered the kitchen and the three women began to chat amongst themselves for a few moments before everyone gathered by the front door to wait.

The door opened slowly to reveal Tsuna walking in and Reborn walking through the threshold. The welcoming committee cried out happily. "Happy Birthday!"

Poor Tsuna's face looked confused until the hitman unknowingly beside him spoke up. "Thank you—I appreciate that you have all gathered here, for me, on this special day. I am one year old now."

Tsuna sputtered. "You…you mean that the party that they were planning this entire time..?"

"That's right." Reborn replied. "It was for me."

"Eh? I thought it was for me…I feel like a fool…" Tsuna looked down dejectedly.

Nana clapped her hands together in realization. "Oh my! That's right! Tomorrow is Tsu-kun's birthday! I completely forgot! I'm so sorry, Tsu-kun!"

"Hahi! Really!" Haru cried. "Th-then shall we celebrate it together then?"

"It's a good thing you mentioned it Tsuna." Nana smiled.

Ashlynn grimaced from her seat on the bottom of the stairs. His own mother didn't remember his birthday. It wasn't as if Nana Sawada was a bad mother or anything, but she was…Ashlynn figured the word for now to describe her was clueless, or even simple-minded. She was glad that she had gotten Tsuna something and Dolly and Birdy had combined their gifts.

Tsuna sighed as the entire group then congregated to the living room. "I'm like a loser who's demanding to have his own birthday party…"

As they all sat around the extended table Nana uncovered some of the boxes. "We got sushi from Yamamoto-kun's place."

"Wow! Thank you Yamamoto!" Tsuna thanked the tall boy who gave a grin. "But wait." Tsuna looked around the room. "How come the atmosphere seems different though everyone seems to be here…Hiiiie? Gokudera-kun!"

Gokudera was holding onto his stomach in obvious pain from being so close to his sister. He looked up as Tsuna approached him. "I…I definitely...re-remembered your…birthday, Juudaime…B-but this seems to be..The final end of me." Gokudera said before he fell fully onto the floor.

"Hiiiie! Is this how you're going to end today!...You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna screeched.

"He can't do that…It's a big disadvantage not to participate in a Vongolian Birthday Party." Reborn noted dryly. All eyes turned to the hitman for an explanation. "In our family, during the odd year birthdays, we are obligated and honored to hold the Vongolian Birthday party. The rules are simple:" Reborn explained as a scoreboard was rolled into view with numbers from zero at the bottom and one hundred at the top. "The person who is celebrating their birthday gives the score's to the participants 'Present' or 'Performance'. And then the participant with the highest score earns an elegant present of their own. But the participant with the lowest score will die a horrible death."

"No Way! What's up with that? Why would someone go to celebrate only to be killed! I can't agree to that!" Tsuna screamed.

Reborn shrugged. "Those are the rules. Everyone has been preparing for this day."

Yamamoto rested an arm on Tsuna's shoulder. "Come on Tsuna, its only child's play. So let's go along with it."

"Since Yamamoto brought sushi he earns eighty points." Reborn said as he slapped a magnet with Yamamoto's likeness next to the eighty mark on the score board as everyone began to eat.

"Hmmm, eighty points not too bad at all!" Yamamoto smiled. Tsuna sighed; did it really have to be a contest?

"Cheer up Tsuna-san! In order to become the wife of a mafia boss, Haru will get used to such events, okay?" Haru placed her hands on her blushing cheeks.

"Wife! Why are you saying things like that? And don't just say 'okay'!" Tsuna grumbled.

Haru reached into the gift bag that she had brought with her. "Haru made a present. Since Reborn-chan's suit has always been black, I've made a white one for him." Haru revealed the suit to the crowd. "Its target patterned because he is a hitman."

"He'll be targeted too easily!" Tsuna pointed out.

Haru's face quickly paled. "Hahi! Now that you mention it I-I hadn't thought of that!"

"Thank you Haru. I like these kind of thrilling clothes. Eight-five points for Haru. "Reborn placated the panicking girl. The magnet with Haru's likeness at the eighty-five mark.

"It's my turn." Bianchi announced as she raised from her seat with …dough in her hands. "I will celebrate Reborn's birthday with a genuine Italian pizza tossing."

Bianchi gave the dough a spin as she tossed it into the air before catching and repeating the motions. The group watched as Bianchi slowly started spinning and tossing faster and faster every time she tossed the dough into the air.

"Wooow." Tsuna was impressed, and then felt something on his check. When he pulled his hand back to see what it was, there was blood on his fingers. "It's cutting! It's cutting everything!"

Bianchi caught the dough deftly with her hands and bowed. "That is my newest technique for poison cooking."

"It was very well done, Bianchi. "Reborn complimented. "Ninety points."

"That was amazing, Bianchi-san!" Haru smiled.

Bianchi bowed again before leaving to the kitchen. "I am going to bake this now."

With a gentle push from her mother Birdy stood up with two small packages of her own and gave one to Reborn and the other to Tsuna before retreating back to Dolly's lap. Dolly gave a small grin. "These are from both Birdy and me, their dog tags with your names and the Vongola crest you showed me Reborn. The rest of you should get your own soon"

"Thank you to you both, and you even remembered Tsuna. Sixty points for you two. Now, is Tsuna next?" Reborn asked as he put Dolly and Birdy's magnet up.

"Huh? I have to do it too? I haven't even heard about this sort of event until today! Lambo probably didn't even prepare anything today either!" Tsuna pointed at the Bovino.

"That's not true!" Lambo cried as he held out a stick with string on the end. "Lambo-san made this yesterday! Gahahahaha! Behold! It's a Lambo stick!"

Birdy looked at the stick and yarn now in Tsuna's hands." So….what is it or what exactly does it do?"

"Well, you put glue on your fingers first. Then do this to get the strings off. 'Lambo demonstrated the motion of twirling his glued finger in circles."Then you twirl the strings of glue around the chopstick then yarn around the glue to get a Lambo stick!"

"One point." Reborn slapped Lambo's magnet barely just above the zero marking.

"Gupyah!"

"I'll go next, just a moment." Ashlynn left the room and came back and placed a cake package and a little gift bag in front of Reborn and Tsuna and watched as both opened the cake parcels first. Ashlynn gave a pleased smile when the group oohed and ahhed at the creations.

Reborn's cake was a two layered espresso mixed with marble cake, carved and molded to resemble his fedora, with dark chocolate icing and orange milk chocolate icing for the band around the cake hat. And on the top she had placed a replica of Leon made from modeling chocolate.

Tsuna's cake was two layered chocolate cake the edges in the likeness of Tsuna's head making an anime smiling expression ( :D ) face, his hair was milk chocolate icing and his eyes were dark chocolate icing.

Reborn nodded and Tsuna just stared at the cake in front of him before a smack from Reborn, the two looked into the little gift baggy. Out came a crocheted bracelet; The strings on Reborn was a dark brown and braided into the crochet were pieces of dark green stones with what looked like blood splatters. Tsuna's had dark blue strands holding black stones that had white flowers on the pieces.

"Reborn those are bloodstones; also called Heliotrope, protects against the evil eye and is a symbol of justice. It is used for circulation of all energy in the body, helps remove energy blocks and used in the alignment of all the centers of the body." Ashlynn explained before facing Tsuna. "And yours has Chrysanthemum stones: Awakens true purpose in life and lends support and courage necessary to follow your dreams. It brings unexpected opportunities (luck) once one has stepped on a chosen path. The chrysanthemum stone contains an energy that forges through obstacles t joy, love and abundance in one's life. It also creates a sense of balance between physical and spiritual, and encourages love and joy."

Dolly whistled, impressed. 'She actually memorized that entire explanation?'

Haru frowned at the gifts, of course she thought that the cakes were crafted amazingly. She really didn't want to lose to the older girl. Especially since Ashlynn had actually known that it was Tsuna's birthday tomorrow.

"Thank you very much Ashlynn. "Reborn said to her while clipping the ends of the bracelet around his tiny wrist. "I like both of your gifts. Ninety points." Ashlynn's magnet took its place next to Bianchi's

Tsuna sent a smile her way as he clipped the bracelet on his own wrist. "Thank you, Ashlynn."

"It's your turn Tsuna." Reborn pointed a gun at him. "If you forfeit, you will die with zero points."

"Tsuna jumped up startled. "W-what!But I don't have anything!"

"Juudaime! Let us make a team together!"

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna went to help to Gokudera up from the floor. "A-are you okay? You looked to be in pain only moments ago."

Gokudera nodded. "It is peaceful so long as big sister isn't around. Reborn-san, don't Vongolian parties allow two-man teams?"

"Yes. It is allowed." Reborn gave permission.

"Gokudera, you don't mean to do…" Yamamoto tried to protest.

Gokudera cut off whatever Yamamoto was going to say next. "Shut up! You're no longer a part of it! I was originally going to team up with Yamamoto but he proved to be not at all useful! My performance…Is a magic show!"

Ashlynn hid a smirk behind her hand. 'Oh, this is gonna be good.'

Gokudera directed Tsuna into a box with straps on the sides and slits for something to be jammed through. "The box has not been tampered with and I am going to lock the Juudaime like so."

"Wow, this is pretty realistic…" Tsuna mumbled.

"Using this sharp blade I shall stab through to the other side of the box!" Gokudera then looked at Tsuna and whispered to him making Tsuna become panicked.

"Haha! I said it was impossible, so I refused to do it." Yamamoto explained happily.

"Hiiiie!" Tsuna started to struggle inside the box.

Gokudera brandished the sword in front of him and tried to comfort his boss. "Even though stupid Yamamoto couldn't do it, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Juudaime will be most successful! If I close my right eye it will be on the right side okay, Juudaime?"

"No! That's not my problem! So stop! I'm going to end up dying either way!" Tsuna yelled.

"That's right. So die now." Reborn shot Tsuna in the forehead.

"Reborn! Magic Show As If I Were To Die! Give It To Me!" Tsuna's arms burst through the side of the box and grabbed the blade from a shocked Gokudera and stabbed it through to the other side of the box. "Stab! Stab! Stab!"

Haru screamed and held onto Lambo who was beside her. Birdy hid her face into Dolly's shirt and didn't dare to look back out as Tsuna kept grabbing swords and stabbed them through the box. After a few moments of silence the front of the box holding Tsuna inside crumbled into pieces revealing Tsuna's body contorted around the swords through the sides of the box.

Gokudera cheered. "Way to go, Juudaime! That was amazing!"

"Hahi! " Haru gasped at the sight.

"Haha! I wouldn't have been able to do that!" Yamamoto laughed.

'Congratulations, Tsuna. You've earned a perfect score." Reborn place Tsuna's magnet at the top of the score board.

The flame on Tsuna's brow died out as he became aware of his surroundings once again and realizing that his body was twisted in ways that they were not supposed to be twisted. "Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow! It Hurts! My body is going to snap! Help!" Tsuna cried out in pain.

Poor Tsuna ended up spending his actual birthday in the hospital.

* * *

><p>The part about the phone call to Dolly while Birdy is in the hospital, my older brother has that very same voice message, it makes you believe that your actually talking to the person and then you stop when you hear a beep and the voice lady telling you to leave a message after the beep.<p>

I fall for it every single time~


	9. Chapter 9

**"I wish more schools had an additional weather policy for really good days, instead of just for inclement weather. 'Students will be excused from classes today because it's sunny with a light breeze, and no chance of rain, go play outside.' "**

**-SKSKSKane**

**"Unless there is something completely unbelievable ( ie, unicorn, ark of the covenant, etc) at the top of that mountain; then no, I actually don't want to go hiking with you."**

**-johnwqreenjr**

* * *

><p>A day of no school no matter the reason is a day coveted by any student no matter the circumstance.<p>

Ashlynn and Ran were hanging out in the backyard at Ran's house in casual clothing, rocking back and for the on the swinging bench that sat on the patio overlooking the grassy area. In front of them was a small glass-topped patio table with stacks of colored paper surrounded by either successful attempts at animal figures or crumpled balls. Ran had attempted to teach Ashlynn the finer points of origami. But other than the being able to make a cootie catcher that was norm for every young American girl to make, a handful of tiny stars, a little heart-shaped box and a folded diamond that was supposed to be a paper football; Ashlynn for the life of her could not grasp how she was supposed to fold to get more complex figures that Ran made look increasingly simple that the other girl was trying to teach her.

The two had ended up on opposite sides of the table playing with the paper football flicking the diamond over each others fingers shaped as a goal post. Here Ashlynn had to teach Ran the finesse of flicking the paper to make it soar.

When that was no longer amusing, i.e. Ran tossing the stars that Ashlynn had created into her face, they went snooping around the shed to find something else to do and while Ashlynn was looking through a box that had some old board games Ran snuck behind her with a bright green pool noodle and hit the other girl in the rear. Ashlynn squealed in surprise dropping the board game back into the box and ran out of the shed grabbing a bright pink noodle on her way out. They began a mock duel with pool noodles in the grass with Ran's Aunt snapping a few pictures with a camera from the sliding door.

Ashlynn dramatically raised the pink noodle above her head to the heavens. "By the honor of the Meagher family and descendant of Ireland, I shall defeat you! Prepare yourself!"

Ran laughed as she ran out of the way of Ashlynn's charge and towards the tree that was in the corner of the yard. "You will do no such thing, my dear opponent. There is something that I with Japanese blood of the Hiraoka family have that you do not!"

Ashlynn snuck an attack around the trunk of the tree to Ran's backside then pulled the noodle back to face on Ran's counter-attack. The two awkwardly pushed the noodles to overpower the other. Ashlynn pulled back again and then spun once smacking Ran's arm.

"And what is that?"

Ran ducked under a shot at her shoulder and got a smack at Ashlynn's legs before she rushed back to the tree and lifted herself onto the lowest sturdy branch. "Not only do we have samurai, we also have ninja and their prowess for being sneaky! Ninja technique!get my ass up the tree!"

"That may be so, descendant of Japan, but your ninjaness must come down from that tree sometime!" Ashlynn whacked the side of the tree with the noodle and reached with the noddle to Ran's feet dangling from the tree.

"Ha! No I won't!" Ran called but then squealed when Ashlynn reached to poke her bottom from behind her. She slipped forward off of the tree and braced herself a little shakily from the shock to her feet. Ashlynn took the chance by lightly smacking the back of the other girls head. Ran laughed turning around to be met with a poke in the stomach. She fell to her knee's holding the 'wound' then fell onto her back on the grass. "You have...slain..me honorably...Descendant of Ireland...but be warned..You may have defeated me on this day...but there will...be...still..more to come!"

Ran closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out in mock death. Ashlynn snorted at the ridiculous gesture of death and poked the ground at her feet with the noodle and placed a hand over her heart. 'Descendant of Japan. Although you had stooped to use such undermining tactics it was a good battle until the very end. I shall honor you and pray that your warrior spirit rests in peace. And may my own soul meet you in the afterlife."

"Nnnnnngh Brains!" Ran jerked up and grabbed Ashlynn's ankle.

"No! I said 'Peace'! Bad zombie, bad!" Ashlynn used the noodle to smack Ran on the top of her head as she tried to escape the zombie's clutches. It was in vain; Ran had bit (Mockingly) her ankle and passed on the zombie virus.

Ran smiled when they both laid back on the grass and looked at the clouds in the sky."You know if zombies really were to take over the Earth, all of the non-video gamers would die off first. The rest of us would have no problem thanks to the training that zombie games give us."

Ashlynn stood and offered a hand to help the girl up. "I'll make sure I'm next to you when that happens, you've got the highest score for beating back those monsters."

"Sure thing. Hey, are you really from Ireland? When you transferred here they never said where you were from." Ran took the proffered hand and lead Ashlynn back to the swing.

Ashlynn shook her head and mentally berated herself on the slip up. But then again someone was going to ask sooner or later. "My mother went into labor in Ireland, yes, but did not go to a hospital until she made it back to the States (I grew up in Illinois). My Grandparents and parents on both sides of my family were born in Ireland though but my parents left for the States when they got married."

"Oh, so your parents are they...?

Ashlynn tensed and looked away. She didn't really want to talk about this, sure they were still alive when she had been there but she didn't know if anything had happened, and even if nothing had, she was no doubt still dead to them.

Ran placed a hand on Ashlynn's shoulder. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought that up. It's just that some people I know live by themselves and their parents live in Tokyo or something and they trust their kid enough to live alone. I just thought it was the same for you."

Ashlynn shook her head. "No, it's alright. I should have at least said something."

Ran gave a small smile then grimaced when her phone went off. "ugh, it's probably someone from work...it's supposed to be my day off..."

"You work?"

Ran froze and stared at her then shook her head. "...Yeah...sorry, I never told you did I? I thought I did...It's just some odd jobs but the boss' assistant calls every once in a while. Sorry, I'm going to take this."

Ashlynn waited as Ran answered and talked to the person on the other line. Just as Ran had predicted it, it was her Boss asking her to come in. When she hung up the phone Ashlynn asked her. "Where do you work? I could walk with you if you want?"

"No that's okay, really..." Ran trailed off with an odd tone in her voice. "What I do most of the time while working...well...I don't think...you might not want to be seen there..."

Ashlynn frowned. "You're not selling yourself are you? Or anything along those lines?"

"What! Oh, N-no! Nothing like that at all!" Ran was shocked at the thought. "Ashlynn, just trust me okay? That's all I ask."

"Alright, I'll trust your word on it...I'll let you go get ready then. I'll see you later, yeah?" Ashlynn waved goodbye to Ran and left for the front door and told Ran's Aunt Suzu she was leaving as she walked out of the house shutting the door behind her and started walking home back home.

She stopped as something hit her in the small of the back and nearly knocked her over to the ground, the strange thing was that whatever had hit her was now clinging to her. Ashlynn reached her arms around her back and was able to untangle a pair of small arms and legs and carefully moved so that she was now holding a small child in her arms that she quickly recognized as I-pin. She was crying, her face was red, and her pinzu-timer was activated with only five pinzu's left on the countdown before the little Chinese assassin exploded.

Ashlynn immediately sat down with her back leaning against the closest wall and hugged the girl, rubbing her back and began to hum an old lullaby to calm the child in her arms. She wasn't really sure what else she should try and throwing her away into the air seemed cruel so she settle for trying to comfort the girl who had tears streaming down her cheeks.

I-pin drowsily looked up at the older girl that had comforted her curiously as the pinzu's disappeared from her forehead. No one other than her master had been able to calm her after activating the pinzu-explosion. "謝謝你的安慰."

Ashlynn looked down at the sleeping assassin in her arms. Well now what she supposed to do? Should she take I-pin to her apartment and wait for her to wake up or should she go and take her to Reborn? She had no idea where I-pin stayed before she began living with Tsuna...

"Thank you for your comfort."

Ashlynn stopped humming and looked to her right to see a small red clothed figure sitting next to her with his back leaning against the wall. There was a red pacifier hanging around his neck and a small...baboon...quietly chittering on the baby's shoulder. She gave him a questioning look before looking down at I-pin. "Is that what she said?"

"My name is Fon. I apologize if I-pin has been any trouble." He bowed his head to her.

"Ah. No trouble. My name is Ashlynn..."

Fon's cheeks dimpled into a serene smile but then looked down curiously as the red pacifier around his neck began to glow. "Ah, it looks to be someone I know is close by..."

"Ciaossu." Reborn smirked at the other baby from the top of a lamp post. His pacifier was glowing a soft yellow. "I haven't seen you in a while Fon. Keeping an eye on I-pin's assignments?"

The storm Arcobaleno nodded closing his eyes and exhaling softly. "The same could be said to you old friend. Miss Ashlynn if you will excuse me I shall be taking I-pin from your care and relocating her to her new residence."

"Oh, of course. "Ashlynn gently transferred the sleeping child to the baby. He nodded to the both of them before running across the street and over the wall on the other side. Ashlynn looked at Reborn who had landed next to her as Fon left. She wondered if she could get some information of the Arcobaleno this early. Even with the sites, manga and anime there wasn't all that much known about the seven.

"...Hey, Reborn...?"

"Fnn?"

"...Both of you...your pacifiers..." Ashlynn trailed off a little unsure how to ask. "Is there some kind of connection to the two of you being-"

He interrupted her with a smirk. "Another time Ashlynn, perhaps I will tell you. Ciao."

He left in the same direction no doubt to meet up with Fon to explain to Maman that I-pin would be staying with her.

* * *

><p>She was right. The next day she went to Tsuna's house and on the way Ashlynn had met Gokudera who was accompanying Yamamoto who was going to do supplementary class homework with Tsuna. And since she was going to the same place she walked over with them. They waved to Nana as she got in her car and drove away from the house.<p>

Yamamoto opened the door and allowed her to enter first. "Hey Tsuna! I brought some reliable helpers!"

Gokudera shut the door behind them. 'It's good to be here."

"Welcome! Sorry, I kind of need to stay home today." Tsuna scratched the back of his head.

Yamamoto smiled. "That's okay; I'm fine with any place."

They congregated around the low table in Tsuna's room and Ashlynn had smiled widely when there had been modeling clay laid out on the surface. She may not have been able to make origami to Ran's standards but modeling clay was something she could work with. And she had always loved playing with Play-doh like every American child always did.

Gokudera just stared at the materials in front of him while Tsuna and Yamamoto got on to work crafting their assignment for their art class. Tsuna looked over at him confused. "Gokudera-kun, is something wrong?"

"…I didn't think…that the supplementary class would be for art." Gokudera grabbed the modeling clay and began to pile and carve.

Yamamoto laughed at the structure. "Haha! What is that supposed to be Gokudera?"

The boy crushed the small stick he was using to carve in detail. "Shut the hell up! Can't you tell! Obviously it is Mt. Fuji, you idiot!"

Ashlynn smiled as she worked to make little chibi replicas of the boys with her. Tsuna was making what looked like a little puppy and Yamamoto was making miniature baseball equipment. They worked silently save for Gokudera's grumbling about how stupid Yamamoto could be for not recognizing a mountain.

The door of Tsuna's room slammed open as I-pin ran in, running away from Lambo who was chasing and taunting the near-sighted child. The kids jumped over the furniture as they ran around the room. I-pin jumped over the table and its occupants from the desk and fled from the room. Lambo tripped and crashed over is feet, when I-pin cleared the jumped after the child and slid across the table completely destroying Gokudera's Mt. Fuji.

Gokudera pulled Lambo up by his afro and began to shake him. "You aimed for mine on purpose didn't you!"

Ashlynn sighed. "Come on Gokudera-"

"What are you doing Gokudera-san!"Haru appeared walked through the open door and grabbed Lambo away from the seething boy. "Why can't you understand that it is very wrong to bully children! No woman would want to be married to you!"

Gokudera scoffed. "Another annoying person has arrived…"

"Tsuna-san's mother was worried so she asked me to come over sometimes. And a good thing too since Gokudera-san is a bully to children and Subordinate-san is a deceitful person and definitely not a good role model for impressionable kids!"

Ashlynn gave Haru a bland stare. "Miura-san, my name is Ashlynn, not 'Subordinate-san' and I will thank you not to say such things about me. I am not romantically interested in Tsuna."

Ashlynn glowered when the younger girl ignored her and was kneeling to be at I-pin's height who was peeking into the bedroom. Haru smiled at the child. "Hi, you're I-pin-chan aren't you?"

I-pin leaped to hide behind Ashlynn and pointed in fear at Haru. "這是一個劭邁怪物!"

"What did he say?" Tsuna asked Reborn who was watching from the bed.

"'It's a Shiu-mai monster' "Reborn translated the traditional Chinese. Ashlynn snorted at the description and quickly covered her mouth with a hand and looked away when Haru whipped her head in her direction. Haru fell to the floor next to Tsuna with a sob.

"I'm not a Shiu-mai! This is entirely your fault Subordinate-san. Teaching a child to call people names! "Haru pointed at Ashlynn.

Tsuna tried to grab her attention away. "It's not her fault! I-pin is just really near-sighted and sees things he's afraid of."

"Eh? Near-sighted?" Haru reached into her courier bag she brought along and pulled out a pair of nondescript glasses and offered them to I-pin. "Those are for near-sightedness."

Yamamoto tilted his head confused. "You wear glasses, Haru?"

Haru shook her head. "No, they are for my father. I was asked to go to the eye wear shop to pick them up."

I-pin looked at Haru with the glasses over her eyes. The pair was many too sizes so I-pin had to hold them up with both hands. "在肇邁走了，現在我看到一個女孩"

Reborn pointed at Haru and translated I-pin's words. "The shiu-mai is gone, I see a girl now."

Lambo decided it was time again to try and scare I-pin again, he staggered towards the Chinese assassin. "I'm going to get you!"

"我看到一個白痴."

" 'I see an idiot'." Reborn smirked.

Gokudera glanced over. "If you're near-sighted then why don't you always wear glasses?"

"因為我的耳朵不是大到足以容納他們的地方."

" 'Because my ears are not big enough to hold them in place.' " Reborn explained.

Ashlynn nodded. "Well, that makes sense, but why not contacts then? Oh, well they can be uncomfortable for some. I particularly do not like them."

"You've used contacts?" Yamamoto asked.

Ashlynn nodded. "Halloween costume some years ago, I was sailor Jupiter from the 'Sailor Moon' series. I wore these really bright green color contacts. And I absolutely hated them and that was because Flaithri kept teasing how I'd poke my eye out if I wasn't careful enough them."

I-pin gave the glasses back to Haru as Lambo approached and stood tall. "Listen newcomer! Don't ignore Lambo-san!"

I-pin grabbed a gyoza bun and took a smile bite and fell into an attacking stance. Tsuna watched in shock as this was happening. "Now that I-pin knows that Lambo isn't a broccoli monster, He's going to attack Lambo!"

I-pin reached an arm out and struck Lambo sending the Bovino across the room. Gokudera looked on impressed. "Wow that was Gyoza-ken. This is the first time I've seen it up close."

"Poor Lambo-chan!" Haru gasped.

Lambo lifted himself from the carpet with tears. "To…ler…ate…Lambo-san! Shaggy Lambo-san isn't going to lose to a funny looking egg head like you!"

"Hey, Lambo stop that! Don't say anything to embarrass I-pin otherwise he'll explode!" Tsuna admonished the boy.

It was already too late, I-pin was sweating profusely at Lambo's taunting and the Bovino child wasn't done yet. "You look like an egg with a tail! You Tail-head! Tail-Heeaad!"

Nine Mah-jong tiles appeared on I-pin's forehead indicating the pinzu timer and how much time they had left to get out. Tsuna screeched and tried to get everyone out of the room and pleading with I-pin at the same time who attached to Tsuna who was closest. "Everyone needs to get out! I-pin, please stop the human bomb! What! No! No, No, No, Nooo!"

Gokudera clamored to the window moved the curtains out of the way and opened the window. He glared at Yamamoto who was laughing and not heeding the boss' warning of danger. "Here! Juudaime, throw him out the window!"

Tsuna turned and threw the Chinese assassin out of the window. He sighed in relief until he noticed that I-pin was hanging from the overhanging gutter over his window by the tail of his braid. The Pinzu timer now showed five pins changing to four pins. Tsuna tried to reach and grab the child. "Hieeek! I…I can't reach him!"

Gokudera pulled him back away from the window. "Juudaime! Let's get out of here!"

Haru stood up from her seat angrily. "Tsuna-san! Just what on earth are you doing to I-pin-chan!"

"Now isn't the time Haru! When the pinzus on his head become one, he will explode! Hiiiie, there's only three pinzus left! Everyone lets' go! Crap! Lambo! What are you doing!" Tsuna yelled.

Lambo was still crying and was pointing the ten year bazooka at his face. Tsuna grabbed onto the other end and tried to pry it away from Lambo. "We only have two more pinzus left! Augh, there's no time! What are we going to do!"

Ashlynn stood from her place and took the bazooka from Tsuna and aimed the out the window at shot at I-pin. "We do this."

The bazooka collided with I-pin just as the human bombs pinzu count was at one. There was an explosion of pink smoke and everyone shielded their faces from the smoke.

Tsuna screeched. "D-did you…did you just fire the ten year bazooka at I-pin?"

"Uhh, yeah…I did. So the explosion must have carried over to the future." Ashlynn placed the bazooka at her side and picked Lambo with her other arm.

"Hiiiie! Really? Th-then this will be the I-pin from ten years into the future?" Tsuna looked to the figure that was in I-pin's place, obscured by the smoke.

When the smoke disappeared, it was a girl in an entirely white uniform carrying a ramen delivery box. "Huh? Why…Why am I in a bedroom when I am in the middle of making a delivery to Kawahira-san?"

Tsuna fell over in shock. "Hiiiie! I-pin is really a girl?"

"…You really didn't know that?" Ashlynn deadpanned.

"Hahi? Do you guys know this girl? Is she another subordinate? How did she get here and where is little I-pin-chan?" Haru looked about the room as Yamamoto laughed. He thought it was all a part of a new game.

The older I-pin looked at her wristwatch. "Oh, no. the ramen is going to grow cold and the noodles will become soggy. Kawahira-san is very strict about being on time…Ah! It's Sawada-san! Hello."

Tsuna walked over to the window. "I-pin…um…you became very….girly…"

"Eh?" I-pin blushed and smiled. "Sawada-san! What are you talking about so suddenly out of the blue? You're so silly, Sawada-san!"

"Ah! I-pin! What happened to your Pinzu timer, and your gyoza-ken technique?" Tsuna asked the now older girl.

The older I-pin tilted her head. "Eh? Sawada-san, don't you remember that I had quit? I have to earn money to pay for my college tuition. You had offered to help out, but I want to do it by myself. And the 'Pinzu timed super explosion' was sealed by master who lives in China when I quit. Along with the password that unseals it."

"Huh, so you really are normal now…I wonder how long it actually took for that to happen or if it actually all of took ten years to accomplish…" Gokudera murmured.

Ashlynn let Lambo go as she asked I-pin a question she had always wanted to ask. "Hey I-pin, you said you're going to college. What are you majoring in?"

I-pin smiled. "Hello, Ashlynn! I thought you knew already? I'm going to study to become a teacher and Birdy-chan is studying to be a lawyer for the family."

"That's great I-pin; I think you'll make a wonderful teacher. Good luck to you." Ashlynn complimented the girl.

I-pin smiled widely. "Thank you very much! Well then, I have a delivery to make, so I'll see you when I see you…"

Lambo stomped onto the low table irritably. "Hey! Where did tail-head go?"

"Gasp! Th-that! The Broccoli…monster…! Aughhhh! My head!" I-pin dropped the box containing the ramen and grasped at her head in pain as she began to shake and sweat. Then the supposedly 'sealed' Pinzu timer appeared on the older I-pin's brow.

"Wha? The password is 'Broccoli Monster'! "Tsuna screamed. 'Hurry everyone we may still have time to—"

There was no time as the Pinzu on I-pin's forehead switched immediately through the pinzus and ended at one, she exploded taking the room and group with her. Reborn was the only one who had escaped the destruction of the explosion. Apparently the awakened 'Pinzu timed Super Explosion' would become faster and even more powerful in the future.

* * *

><p>Another day of work and Ashlynn was actually really busy cranking cake after cake out of the oven. Fukano's bakery was having a buy one get one half off for the simpler made cakes. It was just one of those days that it got really busy and it wasn't anytime near the normal rush hour time. At least she had convinced the other employees working in the back with her to let her plug her I-pod to the radio. They were interested enough in American music and she had set it to play Avenged Sevenfold.<p>

The two employees with her dropped to hide underneath their workstations when they heard someone screams in the front area of the bakery. Ashlynn looked over to the clock on the wall next to the door.

'Funny…Hibari usually doesn't come by until four o'clock in the afternoons…' Ashlynn watched as the door to the baking area opened but instead of Hibari appearing as she expected, but Reborn followed by Tsuna and Fukano-san. The employees let out a sigh of relief. Whenever Hibari came in the unfortunate souls that worked with Ashlynn usually got bitten to death before he threw them out.

"Attention my cute little minions!" Fukano-san announced cheerfully. Ashlynn smiled at the 'endearing' term. Fukano-san had taken to calling all the employees her minions and Ashlynn was the only one that actually played along with it.

Fukano-san motioned for Tsuna to go to the workstation next to Ashlynn. "This here is Tsuna-kun, he'll be working with you for awhile to pay back for his friends little…mess. Be nice and have fun!"

Fukano-san waved as she and Reborn left to the woman's office. The other employees went back to work as Tsuna looked over to her. "Ashlynn, I didn't know you got stuck with having to pay for damages with me. This is just like how Reborn and Bianchi took me out for sushi and ran out on the bill."

Ashlynn shook her head as she grabbed an extra work apron from the storage closet and slipped Tsuna's head through the hole then turned him around so she could tie a single knot in the back. "Um, no. I actually work here."

"R-really?"

Ashlynn smiled. "Yeah, really. Now, today we are having a buy one get a cake half off today, so we're very busy. There's a set of recipes in your workstation drawer. If you have any questions make sure to ask, okay? I'll help you if you need it."

"O-oh, okay. Thank you Ashlynn."

They looked up as the screaming started again in the front room. Ashlynn looked at the wall clock again before going to one of the cooling racks and brought out shortbread then went to the fridge and took some of the stocked coconut juice. Tsuna watched confused as she did so. How come no one was doing anything about the screaming?

He got his answer when Hibari entered through the door and attacked the employee closest to him and then made his way towards Ashlynn's work station. As the other employees lay beaten on the ground he set his gaze on Tsuna who was now standing next to Ashlynn and started to advance with a raised tonfa.

Ashlynn sighed. "Well, there goes the rush. Hello Hibari. If you must beat them then could you try not to do any lasting damage to their hands and fingers? We kinda need those limbs intact for them to do their work. Aim for their toes or something."

Hibari smirked. "I shall keep that in mind, Omnivore. But it is no longer busy as the sale has ended. There will be no crowding of herbivores while I am in this establishment."

Tsuna stuttered. "O-omnivore?"

Hibari's attention was brought back to Tsuna. "I am a Carnivore. The Omnivore is an Omnivore. And you are an herbivore. And I hate herbivores that crowd."

Tsuna was once again sent to the hospital for his injuries from Hibari and the employees of Fukano's bakery blamed her because Hibari had started targeted the worker's toes and feet, sending them complaining to the boss. Luckily Fukano-san had seen Ashlynn's logic so she hadn't got in trouble for it.

* * *

><p>"I'll see you later!"<p>

Ashlynn waved as she and Ran split off into different directions after they were released from school. Ran had to go work her shift at the place that she refused to tell Ashlynn where and what it was. Ashlynn herself didn't have work for the next three or so days. Fukano-san had announced to her 'cute little minions' that she was closing down because she was going out of town and that everyone could have a break. So Ashlynn was going to take her canvas shopping bags to the supermarket today.

Ashlynn fortunately had the foresight to give an 'appeasement' of sorts to Hibari. Yesterday she had left after she had eaten during her lunch hour after she had told Ran where she was going. As she walked through the halls of Namimori middle she had gotten a lot of stares directed her way. Since she had her high school uniform on she wondered if it was because the high schoolers didn't normally visit the middle school but when the underclassmen fearfully cleared a path for her between them, she remembered that she had been seen walking with Hibari to the reception room and that there had been a crowd watching when she had fought with the prefect. Ashlynn lifted her head confidently as she walked; she was here with a purpose after all. She smiled at a few of the students and waved when she saw Kyoko and she sighed when most of the students winced when she even glanced in their direction.

She had gone up the set of stairs and was about halfway to the reception room on the floor with the upperclassmen when someone had addressed her. Quite loudly.

"Extremely good morning, Senpai!"

When Ashlynn turned around she saw Ryohei standing right outside one of the classrooms with many of the students watching from the door. Ashlynn grinned. "Good afternoon You are Sasagawa Ryohei. I saw your match with Tsuna, you were both impressive."

Ryohei punched his fists together happy at the recognition. "Thank you extremely! Would you like to join the boxing club?"

"I'm sorry, but no...But you are welcome to join me along with Tsuna and few of his family members when we train in the mornings. We start again in a few days." Ashlynn quickly offered when the boy deflated at her decline to the boxing club. "Do have a piece of paper and a pen I could use? I'll write address for you, we normally meet at the courtyard at the apartment complex that I live at."

After writing down her contact information for the boxer, Ashlynn resumed her trek to the reception room. A thought occurred to her as she opened the door and entered, why hadn't any members of the discipline committee stopped her on the way? She didn't go to this school, didn't have a pass and she stuck out because of her uniform. Was it because they also recognized her from before?

Hibari raised an eyebrow at her presence in his school, of course he had known when she had approached his territory and he had ordered his committee to leave her be. He would see what the omnivore wanted. Perhaps he would be able to fight her today.

Ashlynn stepped forward to the desk and placed down the box that she had been carrying and the bag with coconut juice and explained that Fukano-san was closing down the bakery for the next few days. The prefect nodded his consent and opened the box placed in front of him and found that it had been filled with shortbread. Ashlynn stood still for a few moments before she made her way back to the door, saying she needed to return back to her campus if she wanted to get to class on time.

The next morning she found herself very, very glad that she had made the impromptu delivery when Fukano-san had tested her, (She had to remind herself that the woman had all of her contact information) that she shouldn't be surprised if Hibari made an unexpected visit to her home. Fukano-san explained that she had closed down a couple times before and Hibari would visit one of the employees to make him shortbread and since he preferred her (Ashlynn) the most, Fukano-san said it would be her that he would 'visit'. Even with her nice lock, Ashlynn was not at all confident that her door could withstand the force that the prefect. Now she wouldn't have to worry about such a visit since she had crammed enough shortbread to last a person at least four days, just enough time until Fukano-san came back from her trip out of town. Funny, the woman hadn't said where she was going to. She would have to remember ask her about it when she came back.

Ashlynn had bumped into Bianchi who had a list of things that Nana had asked for. The two chatted to each other as they found and paid for their things and Bianchi helped Ashlynn take her things home to her apartment. After everything had been put away and a change of clothes she and Bianchi each carried a bag and walked to Tsuna's house.

When the two turned around the final corner they were met with the sight of a group of men all in black suits guarding in front of the house they were going to. Bianchi didn't even falter at the sight and kept walking with Ashlynn speeding up to keep up with her. One of the men pressed forward and greeted Bianchi.

"Miss Bianchi, I didn't know that you were here in Japan."

"I came here to help my Reborn with the Juudaime's training to become the next Vongola boss."

Everyone looked up when they heard a yell from the open window on the second floor. Three pink grenades, Lambo's, soared out of the window and down toward the group in front of the house. Only seconds later a blonde man in street clothing and winter jacket jumped out with a bullwhip in his outstretched hand, he yelled out for the men to take cover as he cracked the whip and pulled two of the grenades into the air where they exploded away from the group, before he landed easily on the ground.

Ashlynn slipped her right chakram bracelet off, activated the blade and threw it into the air towards the forgotten third grenade slicing it in half causing the it to explode in midair. She pulled the flying weapon back by a wire attached to the handle, seamlessly caught the handle and retracted the weapon back to its jewelry form on her wrist and switched the grocery bag she was carrying to her other arm in a fluid motion. Ashlynn mentally patted herself on the back for a job well done while looking so freaking awesome at the same time. She smiled widely when Bianchi gave her an appraising look.

The men had laughed and joked at their boss expense when they saw the spinning chakram take out the grenade and watched in awe as Ashlynn pulled the weapon back. The blonde man smiled as her approached her and Bianchi.

"You see, Tsuna? The Boss will willingly risk his life for the safety of his family. And protecting the allied family's forces is no laughing matter either." Reborn brought everyone's attention to him when he spoke to the unwilling Vongola heir from the concrete wall surrounding the house.

"Don't relate everything back to mafia situations!" Tsuna sputtered at the hitman.

Reborn ignored him. "Bianchi, thank you for getting the things that Maman requested."

Bianchi smiled dreamily at the thanks then took the bag that Ashlynn had been carrying and went inside the house. Reborn then looked to the man who approached Ashlynn and began to introduce the two.

"Ashlynn, may I present Dino, the tenth generation boss of the Cavallone family of over five thousand members and ally of the Vongola family. Dino, this is Ashlynn Meagher, a member of Tsuna's budding family."

Dino placed his hands on shoulders and kissed her cheek. "It is a pleasure to meet you and I thank you for protecting my men. I hadn't realized that there had been more than two explosives thrown out here."

"What...?..oh...sure thing?"

The men around them started laughing at her intelligent response. Reborn smirked. " Dino you should know better; you cannot kiss an Irish girl unexpectedly. You can only kiss her sooner than she thought you would...or so the saying goes. You're lucky she didn't slap you for it." He turned to the former American and began to explain the custom before she decided she wanted to hit the boy though he wouldn't really stop her if she did. "Ashlynn, it is a custom to grant a kiss in greeting and also as a thank you in Italy."

"Irish?" Dino asked but shook off the slight nervous feeling with a laugh. "I'm sorry; I don't know very much of Irish customs or many Japanese ones for the matter. You're supposed to bow in Japan right?" Dino bowed. "But what is the custom of greeting in Ireland? Many have had a bit of trouble with meeting with the Irish mafia families for some reason."

Ashlynn nodded. "Greetings tend to be warm and friendly but you would normally greet someone with a handshake and an appropriate hello according to the time of day. Also keeping eye contact denotes trust and is maintained during your greeting. Though I'm not sure if this would still apply among members of a mafia family."

"Ah, I'll have to I remember that."

"Dino." Reborn called back their attention to him again. "You should stay over tonight, I've already got permission. You too Ashlynn, Maman had mentioned that you have yet to stay over."

"Hmm. I'm alright with that but what about these guys?" Dino motioned to his men around him.

"You can let them go back and relax."

"Wait! Hey, why are you deciding things by yourself!" Tsuna yelled.

Dino's men started to joke again at their boss. "We won't have to worry about you if you're with Reborn-san."

"And especially this cute little warrior." One of the men pointed towards Ashlynn.

"Yeah!"

"It will be a big load off of our shoulders."

"Y-you guys~." Dino blushed. "Alright, alright. I may as well give the Vongola tenth boss a piece of advice or two."

The men filed out of the street as Reborn led Tsuna, Dino and Ashlynn into the house. Dino walked forward and held the door open and allowed Ashlynn to enter first before he shut the door behind him. Nana met them from the bottom of the stairs and welcomed them into the house. Ashlynn took the older woman to the side and asked if it was okay if she could stay over for the night even though there was school the following morning. Nana couldn't have been happier and Bianchi had offered to let her borrow something to wear to bed.

I-pin and Lambo had also been delighted that she was staying over and Ashlynn spent her time playing with them, coloring pictures while she half-listened to Reborn and Tsuna talk with Dino about some things that Reborn had Dino do as training . The baby hitman certainly had the two bosses wrapped tightly around his finger and Ashlynn was sure that if Reborn ordered the two to run, they would do so without asking how far they were supposed to go.

Ashlynn placed the crayons and colored pencils into their boxes when Nana poke her head out of the kitchen and called out that dinner would be ready in a few minutes. She looked over the pictures the two kids made and smiled. Lambo had drawn himself beating up Reborn in many ways and there was also a picture of him and Maman and also one of himself with her. I-pin had drawn a picture of another baby dressed in red with a monkey resting on his shoulder and there was Chinese written on the bottom. She definitely recognized him from a few days ago when she had been able to calm I-pin down from her pinzu timer.; the Arcobaleno: Fon.

She shook her head and placed the papers in a pile then went to join the others at the kitchen table as Nana placed dished in front of each person before she sat down herself.

Dino looked over at Tsuna who was sneaking glances from across the table. "You know that you can ask me anything you'd like, my cute sworn brother."

"Erm...uh..." Tsuna faltered. 'This is a dilemma. I'm glad that Dino-san likes me but I still don't want to be involved into the mafia!'

"Oh, that's right, have you gathered any more members for your family?" Dino asked the boy.

It was Reborn that spoke up before Tsuna had a chance to once again deny any involvement in the mafia. "There is Ashlynn here and also Gokudera Hayato, the younger sibling of the poison scorpion Bianchi, and a Yamamoto Takeshi. There are also two candidates that show real promise; Hibari Kyoya and Sasagawa Ryohei."

"No! They are all just friends and upperclassmen!" Tsuna glared at the hitman. "But why did you come to a person like me, Reborn? You seemed to being just fine with training Dino-san."

"That's because the Vongola is at the core of our families alliance. That's why it gets first priority above all others in every aspect. So even so Reborn hadn't finished with me I had to let him go so he could come train you." Dino explained.

Tsuna looked down at his bowl. "The Vongola is that influential?...I'm even more concerned now."

"Dino, you're spilling food all over yourself." Ashlynn pointed out to the boss from her place between Lambo and I-pin. The rice seemed to be everywhere except his bowl. Dino looked down in shock, he hadn't realized he had made such a mess.

"Without his men Dino only functions half as well." Reborn told them. "He is the kind of person who can only use his prowess for the family or in front of the family. Without even a single member within his sight, his athleticism drops dramatically. Almost more than fifty percent in fact."

Dino scoffed at the description made of him. "Really, Reborn? Saying stuff like that again. Do you honestly want them to believe all of that? It's because I normally use a knife and fork so I m having a little difficulty using chopsticks."

Ashlynn smiled to herself. 'Poor Dino, of course I believe it. I've seen it for myself.'

"If you're done, Dino-kun, I ll go prepare the bath for you." Nana said as she cleared away the children's plates and took Ashlynn's away before she could finish standing up.

Dino nodded. "Thank you, Maman."

"KYAAAAAA!"

They all jumped up at the sound Of Nana s scream from the bathroom, save for Reborn. Dino s chair slid backwards and fell to the floor as he stood up and pulled out his bullwhip. "What just happened! Maman, are you alright?"

Dino took a hurried step forward and promptly fell to the ground in a heap. Tsuna stood up and gave a hand for fallen boss. "D-Dino-san? Are you okay?"

"Ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow, I-I tripped on my own foot..."

"You see?" Reborn nodded to Dino. "Without his men Dino is just a big klutz that can't do anything right."

Nana burst into the room and hid behind her son. "In the tub! In the tuuuuub!"

Tsuna led Dino and Ashlynn to see what had frightened Nana. When he opened the door they were met with the sight of an enormous turtle that was happily munching away at the side of the bathtub. It looked up at them and gave out a roar.

Dino slapped a palm to his forehead and groaned. "Crap~ That Enzio. When did he escape from me?"

"Hiiiie! You mean that that turtle is the same one from before! That can't be!" Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head.

"That's right. Enzio is a sponge snapping turtle. He swells up when he is immersed in water, then the enlarged Enzio becomes feral and will devour a house whole." Reborn explained with a whiteboard with a picture equation. Enzio plus water equals feral monster Enzio.

"Hmmm, isn't there a movie quote that can go with this?" Ashlynn wondered under her breath.

Dino pushed forward to stand in front of them. "Stay back and no one interfere. It will be a disgrace for the Cavallone Famiglia if their tenth boss can't control his own pet. Calm down Enzio!"

Dino cooly cracked the bullwhip towards his pet and hit Tsuna across the face. Tsuna held onto his cheek in tears. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Tsuna! I'm so sorry, I slipped." Dino

Reborn shook his head and stood next to Ashlynn. "Don't you understand? He's not fully himself without his men around."

Dino attacked with the whip again and it hit Tsuna again and the place where Reborn had been before he jumped to sit on Ashlynn's shoulder. Enzio took another bite out of the edge of the tub big enough that he was now crawling out and onto the tile. Tsuna scrambled out of the bathroom to avoid being hit again and looked up pleadingly to Reborn.

"Can't you do anything? At this rate Enzio is going to eat the entire bathroom!"

"Fnn, he did say not to interfere...well, I guess it can't be helped. It's Leon's turn." Reborn held out the tiny chameleon and Leon hurtled to Tsuna's face and transformed him to look like one of them men that were seen amongst Dino's group.

"Romario!" Dino yelled when he saw the disguised Leon on Tsuna's face. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back with the others! You idiot! Stay back and leave this to me! Don't think too badly of me Enzio."

Dino used the whip to grasp Enzio around the neck and used one of the hanging light fixtures above them to lift the amphibian into the air, cutting off air supply and making Enzio pass out. After he made sure that Enzio would not attack again, Dino lowered him to the floor then turned around and frowned when 'Romario' disappeared. Leon vaulted off of Tsuna's shoulder and bounded his way up Ashlynn into her hair shifted in the strands on the top of her head before settling and poked his tiny head out to watch the surroundings.

Enzio was returned to his original size after being blow dried from Bianchi's hairdryer and the situation was finally settled. However there was the destroyed bathtub to take in account. Surprisingly enough Nana seemed to completely erase the entire ordeal from her mind and suggested that since there was such a large group, then they should all go out to the public baths down the street. After she handed out buckets and washcloths and made sure that everyone brought a change of clothes with them, the set out to the public bath.

Ashlynn walked between Bianchi and Dino on the way. Dino had a perpetual smile on his face and when Tsuna asked from his other side. Dino proudly announced that it was his first time using a public bath and even though a little nervous about the custom, he was happy to try something new.

"It's also Ashlynn's first time using them." Reborn told the group.

Ashlynn blushed and looked away. 'Seriously? You just had to announce it didn't you? What the hell, Reborn? Just because you haven't tortured me with training yet, you're going to humiliate me?''

When they arrived to the main room Tsuna and Dino went towards the male section of the baths while Nana, Bianchi, and Ashlynn took the kids to the women's section. Ashlynn paused as everyone started to strip themselves of their clothing in the locker room. This was...new. Of course she had changed before in a locker room full of people before in school, and it had showers but no one used or admitted to ever using them. And she certainly hadn't left that locker room nude. Or removed her undergarments in front of them. Not that she had been picked on for being chubby or anything, she was rather fit. But none of her school mates was a man in an infant's adorable little body. Ashlynn found her anxiety coming from the fact that Reborn was with them and that she hadn't bathed with another person since she was five years old.

Nana and I-pin stayed behind while Bianchi and Reborn went into the bathing area. Nana had untied I-pin braid and was now diligently taking all of the things out of Lambo's afro and she believed it all to be an impressive magic trick.

"Are you feeling alright, Ashlynn-chan?" She asked.

Ashlynn quickly nodded then began to undress herself and shook her hair out of the ponytail that held her hair up. She immediately stopped when she felt Leon scurry to the top of her head. "'gasp' I'm so sorry Leon, I didn't know you were still with me." She apologized to the chameleon.

"Oh, Ashlynn-chan, you look nice with your hair down. You should leave like that more often."

"Thank you Nana-san."

"Now now, you can call me Maman. Everyone else does."

"Oh...Thank you, Maman."

"You're welcome, dear. Could you take I-pin-chan in while I take care of Lambo-chan? We'll be out in a few moments." Nana asked placing all of Lambo's things inside a locker.

"Alright. Come one, I-pin." Ashlynn held the child's hand and the two made their way past a few other bathers to the individual stalls with very low stools and faucets. Ashlynn sat on the stool next to Bianchi and I-pin on her other side and began to wash herself and helped I-pin scrub her back and washed the child's hair, mindful of her eyes then used the bucket to slowly rinse her off. When she was finished, I-pin went to sit beside Nana washing Lambo. Ashlynn glanced around as she scrubbed her skin before she shot her head to the side, eyes searching along the wall they were facing.

'Was that a flash?' She thought, pausing with the bucket. She shook her head. It must have been the steam or something. She hoped it was the steam.

"Here, I'll wash your back." Bianchi offered and motioned for her to turn the other way.

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Leon leaped from her hair and scampered towards Reborn on Bianchi's other side. "Fnn, thank you for watching Leon. He seems to really like you, Ashlynn."

Ashlynn tensed at being addressed before forcing herself to calm down. Bianchi looked at her curiously before continuing washing the girls back. "You're welcome, Reborn. And I like him too." Ashlynn answered.

Bianchi handed back her little towel and rinsed herself off before taking Reborn with her to soak in the pool of water with Nana and the kids, leaving Ashlynn to finish washing her own hair with the soap that had been laid out by maintenance. Once she had rinsed herself with the bucket she walked toward the water and poke a toe into the surface and quickly pulled it back out with a hiss.

It was flipping scalding!

Ashlynn looked towards the group and found that the heat didn't bother any of them. She huffed, then very slowly immersed herself into the hot water wincing with every inch until the water came up to her shoulders and stayed very still while her body adjusted to the temperature. It was nice to just soak but she figured she liked her western styled bathroom opposed to a bath like this in public better, but it would be nice to do this every once in a while.

She didn't know how long they had just soaked until they finally got out and returned to the locker room. According to her cell phone, Ashlynn was amazed that they had at least stayed for almost two hours. She changed into the orange tank top and blue shorts that Bianchi let her borrow for the night and once everyone was dressed they met Dino and Tsuna in the main room before making their way quietly back to the house. Ashlynn trudged feeling lethargic, a glance around showed her that Lambo was already asleep in Nana s arms and I-pin was dozing off in hers, Dino was practically asleep on his feet surprisingly not tripping over himself (Perhaps he was also that kind of person whose motor skills are greater when asleep or drunk.) Reborn, Tsuna, Bianchi and Nana seemed to be unaffected. They set up cots in the living room and prepared for bed, Ashlynn immediately fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>Her eyes opened blearily. It was still dark and a quick squint at her cell phone she read that it was two in the morning. Ashlynn looked over to the hallway, there was a light on coming from the kitchen and she could hear someone shuffling around. She got up and tiptoed her way across the room, careful not to step on anybody on her way and went into the kitchen. Ashlynn blinked her eyes to adjust to the brighter light of the kitchen. She looked to the table and saw Lambo from ten years in the future in cow printed pajamas, sitting and drinking milk<p>

"Buongiorno, Aneue."

"Good morning, Lambo."

Ashlynn reached into a cabinet for glass and poured herself some water before quietly pulling a chair out and sitting across from the time traveler.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Well, I wasn't able to sleep so I tried drinking some milk when I suddenly came back ten years to the past...the younger me had some really bad sleeping habits. He probably fired the ten year bazooka in his sleep. I'm sorry if I woke you up Aneue."

Ashlynn shook her head. "It's alright. How are things for you in the future?"

"...You know that I can't exactly tell you anything too specific about the mafia. And even what I can tell you it could probably change or not even happen when the time comes."

"That's fine."

"Well, right now I'm working on an assignment with Yamamoto and Gokudera. It's going well so far. I-pin told me that she had told you guys she had quit and is working for college tuition along with Birdy-chan who is studying to be a lawyer. And you...well..." Lambo trailed off.

"I'm not dead or anything am I?"

Lambo quickly shook his head. "No! No, nothing like that at all Aneue. You're getting married really soon. The entire family and our allies are in a hype about it. I heard that the previous Vongola Boss, Don Timoteo cried tears of joy when you asked him if he would walk you down the aisle."

"...You don't sound too happy about it."

"It's not that I'm not happy for you, I am really. It's just...You're my Aneue. I don't want anyone to take that away from me."

Ashlynn smiled. "That's sweet of you Lambo. But that's not all there is to it is there?"

"Hehe, you always know when I try to keep information to myself. Well... I used to have a bit of a crush on you a couple years back, according to my time anyway. I never really did like any of the men that tried to get your attention whether the intent was romantic interest or not."

"Lambo..."

"...My five minutes is just about up. You should go back to sleep Aneue, we can talk again another time. This certainly won't be the last time that my younger self fires the ten year bazooka. Buonanotte. "

Ashlynn nodded and downed the rest of her water and placed it in the sink. "Good night Lambo, sweet dreams."

Lambo smiled before he disappeared in smoke and was replaced by a sleeping five year old Lambo on the table with the bazooka leaning against the chair. She cradled Lambo in her arms and took the ten year bazooka and went back to the living room. She laid Lambo back on his cot and placed the bazooka on the table nearby then she took her cell phone with her as she turned off the kitchen light and navigated her way back to her spot in the room next to Bianchi and I-pin.

...She was going to be married in ten years. But who was the groom?

* * *

><p>Ashlynn shot her hand out from underneath her covers to quickly turn off the alarm off her phone. She had forgotten to turn the volume down. With a quiet yawn and a few stretches she got up and folded up her cot and placed it back into the closet that Nana had pulled it out of then she went into the bathroom to change out of Bianchi's things back to what she had worn yesterday. She folded the tank top and shorts and placed them in the laundry hamper. She peeked into the living room and sighed in relief. She hadn't woken anyone up from her getting up but the cot that Reborn had laid in was empty.<p>

She found him in the kitchen sitting at the table petting Leon on his outstretched hand. "Ciaossu."

"Good morning. Reborn, I'm going to head back to my apartment to get my uniform. I should be back in time to walk with Tsuna but can you tell Nana just in case she worries?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, I'll see you in a bit." Ashlynn waved to Reborn as she left the kitchen and made her way out of the house. When she walked to the street she saw Dino's men scattered around in front of the house. Most of them were polishing their weapons and another group was crouched over a game of cards on the ground.

"Buongiorno Miss Ashlynn." Many of the men greeted her and she smiled and waved as she passed them by. She made it to her apartment with no delay and changed into her school uniform and grabbed her bag before re-locking her door and heading out again with a muffin in her mouth. As she stepped out of the complex and red sports car parked on the street right beside her

"Miss Ashlynn, please allow us to escort you back at the Sawada household."

"Huh? Oh, um okay."

Dino's subordinate allowed her to enter and shut the door behind her before entering the front passenger seat. The man sitting next to her in the car was holding a lasso. He noticed her staring and gave her a grin.

"Reborn-san is allowing the Boss to test the other members of your Boss' family. Reborn-san is going to tell them that you and Sawada-san had been taken hostage by the local yakuza group, the Momokyo-kai gang. But really, we are the ones who shall do the abducting. After we secure Sawada-san we will return and wait for our Boss' signal."

Ashlynn nodded but pointed out to the men in the car. "Alright, but knowing Reborn there is a chance that this gang is real. We should be prepared for a confrontation on the chance that it is. If it's not then its not but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. Do you know the address of the supposed hideout?"

The men gave her appraising looks. Of course they hadn't thought of the possibility of the gang being real. They decided they would be close on standby just in case any problems; this was quickly agreed since none of them actually knew where exactly the hideout was. They drove through the residential area and when they passed Tsuna's house and then sped towards the end of the street where they saw him walking with Gokudera, Yamamoto and Haru. The man sitting with her opened the door and lassoed the boy, somehow also blindfolding and gagging him at the same time; and pulled him into the back seat and shut the door. The man at the wheel turned sharply at the next corner and circled his way back and parked on the corner and waited for the signal. It didn't take long; as soon as Gokudera and Yamamoto left Haru with Reborn and sped down the road and Dino walked out from his hiding place behind a nearby tree to Reborn, the car pulled out into the side of the street. Ashlynn let herself out of the car and helped untying Tsuna from his restraints.

"Hiiiie! W-what's going on! Dino-san!"

"Hahi! You weren't really taken by that gang? What a relief!" Haru cried dropping to her knees.

"I'm sorry but I wanted to test your family, Tsuna. We were going to have you join the other two, Ashlynn, but you had already left the house. So we told them that you were taken hostage as well. I liked what I saw. Their minds were completely focused on rescuing you two. Sure, they lost their composure, but they're trustworthy enough."

"B-but wait! What about Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto! They left to go fight a gang!"

"Don't worry so much Tsuna; Momokyo-kai is just an imaginary yakuza group that Reborn made up. They have probably given up and are on their way back right now. Tsuna, Ashlynn, you are very lucky. Lately there haven't been many family members that who are so thoughtful for their Boss and their comrade."

"Wait... they're not family... they're just my friends."

"Ah. I forgot to tell you guys." Reborn announced. "Momokyo-kai is a real existing yakuza in this town."

Ashlynn shared a knowing glance with Dino's men. "I called it."

"What! Then, they really went to the Yakut's territory?" Tsuna screamed.

"What are you thinking Reborn? The opponents aren't just any regular punks or delinquents! There's no way that those kids can win against them!" Dino admonished.

"Fnnn, that's true. I heard that many of them are skilled in martial arts. There will be a fight no doubt if Gokudera and Yamamoto are serious about finding these two."

Dino sighed wearily. "God Reborn, why do you always do extreme things like this? This is not a joke!"

"For real! What are you going to do when they get hurt!"

"Hey Reborn! Are you even listening!" Dino and Tsuna yelled at their tutor. Reborn look straight across at his eye level then suddenly he and Leon began blowing a bubble from their noses.

Dino gritted his teeth. "Fine then. Come on Tsuna, Ashlynn. This time we are going to go after them. Don't worry; I'm going to go with you."

The three arrived with Dino's men at the Momokyo-kai hangout and stealthily went up the stairs and came to a set of double doors. Din's forces left Dino with them as they went to scout the other levels of the building. Ashlynn and the two Bosses went above and found Yamamoto and Gokudera's schoolbags laying against a wall next to a set of double doors.

Ashlynn slipped on the metal rings from her bag and laid hers right next to the bags on the floor. Dino looked at Tsuna and Ashlynn before he opened the were a bunch of men. beaten up and groaning on the floor, leaning against the sparse furniture and the walls.

"Come on dammit! Spill it you punk! Where is the Juudaime! If so much as a hair is damaged I will send you on a one-way ticket to Hell.""

"Can you tell me where Ashlynn is?"

Both Gokudera and Yamamoto were holding up a man each trying to find the whereabouts of their Boss and friend. They both looked up when the door opened and the people they had come to rescue were coming into the room unharmed with Dino. Gokudera sighed in relief and dropped the man he was trying to make talk. Yamamoto smiled and laid the man down and stood next to Ashlynn.

"Juudaime! Ashlynn! You're safe!"

Yamamoto fluttered around Ashlynn, eyes roving to find any injuries" Did they do anything to you? Are you hurt at all?"

Ashlynn shook her head then looked as the doors on the other side of the room opened up to reveal group of larger tattooed covered men led by one man that had the kanji for 'Boss' written in bright red on his clothing. He surveyed the room, his men beaten on the floor and the small group that certainly wasn't apart of his gang; they were all wearing a school uniform except for one male.

"The Hell is this?"

"These Bastards...they just keep showing up." Gokudera dropped the finished cigarette and lit another.

Dino placed himself in front of them. "Wait, they're aren't like the youngsters you just beat up so please leave this to me." He looked to the boss of the yakuza group and started to negotiate. "I am the tenth generation boss of the Cavallone family. It is my fault that this has happened. I apologize. I will pay for everyone's medical fees as well as the fee to repair the room. Please accept that offer and allow us to leave."

"Huh? Family? What are you yapping on about? This is Japan, you moron. But we'll take the money, but you guys aren't going anywhere, especially the girl."

"So you've broken off negotiations, then. I guess that I shall have to return with force. I here I go!" Dino cracked the whip. It slashed at Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ashlynn and himself. Tsuna was the only one on their side that was still standing. The opposing yakuza laughed at their misfortune.

"Hyahahahaha! What the hell was that? What a fool, he just hit himself! Let's go boys,beat the guys but leave the girl. Even if she's got a plain face we don't want to ruin that pretty little body!"

"Hiiiiiie! No! No! Wait! Somebody help!"

* * *

><p>"The person who is going to help, is the Boss. And that, Tsuna, is you." Reborn shot the sniper Leon from the building across from the Momokyo-kai building. "And these are the additional bullets. If it hits the front side of each hand, it becomes the clenched fist bullet."<p>

* * *

><p>"REBORN! DEFEAT THE YAKUZA WITH MY DYING WILL! HYAAAAHH!"<p>

The yakuza faltered in their attack when Tsuna's spirit broke free from his body only clad in heat printed boxers and retaliating against them with enlarged fists, punching and throwing broken furniture at the gang members.

"What the fuck is with his hands!"

One of the punks snuck behind Tsuna rearing back to slam a bat against the boy, he was cut off short when Yamamoto elbowed him in the face and out of reach from Tsuna. Gokudera punched back from Tsuna's other side and Ashlynn kicked away a man trying to attack Dino, in the chest.

"The area save for this is secure Boss." Dino's men reported in the room. "Why are you slacking off by yourself? That's so uncool."

Dino stood back on his feet. "You guys, God you're so noisy. Okay! Let's have some fun!"

"Aaaaahhh!"

And thus the Momokyo-kai was defeated in their own territory.

* * *

><p>"I'm impressed! I can leave Tsuna to you guys with no doubts or worries."<p>

Gokudera smirked. "Hehe, I don't need you to tell me that, I'll always protect, and be the right hand man of, the Juudaime."

"Gokudera-kun."

"Well, it was a good thing that no one was really hurt. "Yamamoto pointed out. Ashlynn nodded, of course, their group had gotten away unscathed save for the welt that had come with Dino's attack but that was healing now. That couldn't be said for the Momokyo-kai gang.

"Well, I'll be leaving now," Dino stood up from his seat and walked out of Tsuna's bedroom.

"Eh, already?" Tsuna asked.

"Hm, I'm busy with my work as a Boss too."

"Wait a second, Dino-san? Why did you decide to be the Boss?" Tsuna followed the older male down the hallway.

"It's because I care for my family. I thought, if I could, I should protect them. You feel the same, right?"

"…"

"Tsuna."

"Yes?"

"I trust that you will become a great Boss."

"..Dino-san, the stairs!~"

Dino tripped over his foot and felled down the stairs. Tsuna rushed after him and slipped on the second step down and landed at the bottom next to Dino.

"My, you're so lively, Tsu-kun." Nana poked her head out of the kitchen. "I bet you're still excited that you have an older brother now. Dinner's almost ready so will you call everyone down? Dino-kun you can stay anytime. I'll bring out a fork and knife for you too."

"Hai, thank you Maman."

Tsuna looked over to him. "Will you stay tonight as well?"

"I think I will. Maman's cooking is very good. I'll call the men and tell them the change in plans. I think that they'll like to have another break."

"Juudaime, are you alright?"

Tsuna looked up and saw everyone at the top of the staircase looking down at them.

"Maa, something smells good! Are we allowed to stay over, Tsuna?" Yamamoto grinned.

"Dinner won't be for a while." Reborn cut in.

"Eh? Why?" Tsuna tilted his head to the side. They all jumped when the floor shook and the bathroom door slammed open. Enzio had escaped from Dino again and had found water from the bathtub once again. It was a wonder how the turtle got away since Dino had been holding him just a few minutes ago. Enzio gave out a roar and charged at them down the hallway with Reborn riding on top of the amphibian's shell.

"Everybody run!"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn smiled when she went to open the door of her apartment in the early morning and allowed a happy Ryohei and his sleepy sister Kyoko into her home. She helped the drowsy girl untie her shoes and brought the two into her living room where they let Kyoko lay down on the couch. She laid a soft fleece blanket around Kyoko as the girl fell back asleep then placed the girls' bag withing sight on the low table.<p>

"You are earlier than I expected you to be here Ryohei. The others won't be here for at least another hour and a half." Ashlynn whispered mindful of the sleeping girl.

"I was extremely excited for today! And when I told Kyoko she said that she had met you before! So I brought her along with me!" Ryohei yelled in a whisper.

Ashlynn shook her head with a grin. She should have expected this. "Have either of you eaten yet?"

"I had three extreme breakfast bars! But Kyoko hasn't eaten yet..."

Ashlynn nodded then made her way into the kitchen with the boxer following curiously behind her. She had bananas that she had laid to the side to ripen and become mushy so she could use it to make banana bread. A quick glance at the clock showed she had just enough time to make the bread.

"I'll make banana bread, are you or Kyoko allergic to anything that you know of? I don't want to make you guys something only to find that it will make you sick or the chance that it could kill you."

"Extremely nothing that we know of!" Ryohei loudly whispered.

Ashlynn nodded, she had asked the same thing of Tsuna's family and also with Dolly and Birdy. She asked because while she was still in her original world, she had a friend that had celiac, which was a hereditary allergy to gluten that results in damage to the small intestine. The girl couldn't eat wheat, barley, and rye because of a protein called gluten, which is responsible for the springiness and stretchiness of bread. Without gluten, the bread turns out heavy and dense. Basically, her friend had to literally watch what she ate because if she didn't, she was susceptible to cancer in her intestines.

making banana bread was very easy, she had learned from helping her mother in the kitchen when she was a child it and was one of the recipe's that she didn't need to look off any directions. Ashlynn pulled out a large mixing bowl and measuring cups and spoons and placed them on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. Ryohei sat down in a chair at on the other side of the island and watched as she went around gathering and measuring all the ingredients and pouring everything but the bananas into large mixing bowl. She preheated the oven then peeled the bananas and used a separate bowl to mash them into mush before she added it to the mixture and stirred until it blended all together. Ashlynn took two loaf pans and greased them before pouring and using a flat spoon to get all the batter into the pans. She put them int the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes, just enough time for the bread to be done and cooled down a bit when the boys came over. Ashlynn started on the dishes and was pleasantly surprised when Ryohei came beside her with a small towel and began drying what she washed and placed them next to him in small stacks and piles, it was a nice silence from the younger boy that she hadn't expected. When the last dish was washed she started putting the washed things away in their respective places.

"Kyoko! Extremely good morning!" Ryohei greeted his sister.

Ashlynn turned and found Kyoko sitting at the island rubbing cutely at her eyes and looked around the kitchen area curiously. Kyoko smiled at her brother and hugged him. She looked towards Ashlynn. "Good morning Ashlynn-chan."

"Morning."

"That smells nice, what are you baking?"

"Banana bread. It should be just about done now." Ashlynn opened up the oven and poked a toothpick into the middle of the bread and checked if the middle was still gooey. When nothing showed on the toothpick from either loaf she grabbed each pan with pot holders and brought them to the cooling rack laid out on the counter. While she waited for the pans to cool off she grabbed a knife, a small stack of paper plates, and a small tub of butter out of the fridge. The three of them looked up when they heard knocking on the front door. Kyoko got up from her seat and sent her a small smile.

"I'll get it for you."

Ashlynn nodded and turned back to the bread, she turned the pans over and gently tapped the sides until the loaves fell out then she took the knife and began cutting even slices.

"Good morning Ashlynn~."

Ashlynn brought the slices of bread, paper plates and butter to the island table. She tilted her head in confusion. Yamamoto was the only one that came over? "Hey. Where are Tsuna and Gokudera?"

"The kid told me that he was going with Tsuna to see that Dino person for training. And I'm not sure where Gokudera went, I guess I missed what he said, ha ha. " Yamamoto took a bite out of the offered buttered bread and smiled at the pleasant taste. "I still want to run with you, so I came today. Hey Sasagawa-Senpai, why are you and Kyoko here?"

"I was extremely invited by Senpai to train in the morning since I have yet to convince Sawada to join my extreme boxing club!" Ryohei punched the air a few times.

Yamamoto looked at the boxer in confusion written on his face. " 'Senpai'?"

Kyoko giggled. "He means Ashlynn-chan of course. Have you forgotten that she is our upperclassman? She does go to the high school."

"Haha! I totally forgot! I always wondered why we never saw you at Nami middle and you keep walking past the school every time we walk to campus together."

Ashlynn sweat dropped. "And you never noticed that I wore a different uniform than the rest of you?"

Yamamoto laughed again. "I guess not!"

When everyone had enough bread, Ashlynn wrapped what was left with cyran wrap and put away before she led Ryohei and Yamamoto into the courtyard. Kyoko had declined to join them and asked Ashlynn if she could write down that recipe for the banana bread before she left saying that she would see them all later.

Training with Ryohei was...'Extreme' to say the least.

Whenever she called out a stretch and how many she expected from the boys he tried to do double the amount in the same time all the while counting out loud. Really loud. Some of the other residents of the apartment complex actually walked out to see what they were doing. Ryohei had then 'extremely' greeted them and invited every single one of them to join in and even asking that they would join his boxing club. Nobody wanted to do either. Even Dolly and Birdy had come out to see what the commotion was all about and explained to a few disgruntled residents from being woken up earlier than they wanted to.

'It is important that young people take interest in their health and be active.' Then Dolly joined in with Birdy following her mothers' example. They stayed a while until Birdy got hungry and Dolly took the child back inside. After their stretching the three made their 'Extreme' way sprinting to the canal on the side of town. Ashlynn wasn't sure if she found the fire in the boxer's eyes disturbing or assuring. A quick stretch again to cool down from the sprint, Ryohei once again tried to do double the amount for every stretch. Then came jogging up and down the step stairs in front of the canal. Ryohei had taken to counting every time he went up and down the steps. Ashlynn glanced at Yamamoto and the two nodded before they caught up to Ryohei's number until they were all in sync and counted out loud how many sets they did.

They certainly gained a few curious glances from the other early risers in Namimori. Three kids jogging up and down the steps by the canal, were they training for some kind of sport event? All three looked very athletic.

Ashlynn found that she didn't mind people staring when she ran in sync with the two boys. It was becoming a lot more fun and the boys felt the same from the wide grins on their faces. After another few sets Ashlynn called the boys to a stop and they cooled down again with stretching before they sprinted back to her apartment.

"That was Extreme, Senpai! Thank you very much for allowing me to join you in your training!" Ryohei happily exclaimed when they made their way to Namimori Middle school's gate, each in their respective school uniforms. Ashlynn shook her head very had a lot of fun and she told him so.

"I'm glad that you took me up on the offer Ryohei. It was a lot of fun this morning. I hope that this will become routine fore us."

"Of course! The other members of my extreme boxing club don't train in the morning, so please expect me to train with you from now on!" Ryohei yelled and had actually bowed to her in thanks before he ran through the open gates of the school and yelling about his 'Morning to the Extreme'!

Ashlynn turned and waved goodbye to Yamamoto and made her way to Nami high school. Surprisingly, Ran wasn't at the school gates like she usually was when she got to school before Ashlynn did. She looked around the front of the campus looking for her wayward friend. Ran had always made a point of being punctual when she was meeting with Ashlynn anywhere. She shrugged, maybe she wasn't coming today, it certainly wasn't the first time that either of them had skipped school. Though Ran skipped much more Ashlynn ever did and the girls' grades suffered a bit because of it but Ran explained that sometimes it couldn't be helped. Sometimes she had work and couldn't get out of it.

Ashlynn was proved right at the end of her homeroom class when she got a text from Ran telling her not to worry because she was at work and that she would see her on Monday at school. Ashlynn sent a text back that she would see her then and she sent a happy face emoticon with it. Ashlynn sighed, one of the reasons why she didn't skip much if she could help it was to be with Ran during the school day. Without the other girl with her, Ashlynn had to go through the school day practically alone. She didn't really have other friends since she had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to abandon Ran because of her sexual preferences. Her peers in her year left her alone after that but a some of the upperclassmen found her loyalty endearing and allowed her to sit with them during the lunch period and they made pleasantries with each other. Other than the very small mixed group of second and third years, everyone else basically gave her the cold shoulder. She didn't mind but she was beginning to get bored and wanted to talk to somebody.

She sighed but busied herself during her free moments of class when she finished her work with writing out that recipe that Kyoko wanted and drawing doodles in one of her extra notebooks.

Once school finally let out she found Yamamoto waiting at the school gates. A lot of the high schoolers gave him curious glances, mostly appraising looks from the girls, those looks quickly turned to glares when they saw Ashlynn walk towards the boy, although Ashlynn never noticed them. He smiled when she walked up next to him.

"I got a call from the kid, He said that Tsuna got injured during training and everyone is going to visit him. Do you want to come with me? We'll stop by my dad's restaurant to take something to bring to Tsuna. I'm sure he'll appreciate it the thought and gift."

"Sure, I'll go with you. Where's the restaurant?"

* * *

><p>"Takeshi welcome back! And you've brought a lovely friend with you! Welcome,welcome! My name is Yamamoto Tsuyoshi. I'm Takeshi's great Otou-san!" Tsuyoshi deftly flipped the knife he was using into the air, spun around and bowed to her in greeting before straightening and catching the knife out of the air and continued making sushi on the preparation table. Ashlynn was holding a small box of cookies she got from Fukano's bakery on their way to Takesushi, whistled impressed by the little trick and was awarded with a large smile from the sushi chef. He was working on a large, long boat filled with all kinds of sushi and it had a bansai tree on one end. "I'm just about finished with it Takeshi, then you can go on and take to your friend."<p>

"Thanks. Dad, this is Meagher, Ashlynn. She's a good friend and upperclassman of mine and Tsuna's." Yamamoto patted the top of her head as he introduced her to his father.

The man looked at the two of them and flashed another sweet smile while putting in the last finishing touched of the sushi on the boat. "It's finished, go on ahead and take it. Ashlynn-san it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Ashlynn smiled as Yamamoto took the sushi boat and the two made their way out of the restaurant and went to the hospital. The girl at the reception desk happily gave them the number for Tsuna's room and allowed them to go right ahead to the ward where Tsuna was resting. As they were walking down the hallway they heard a woman's voice reprimanding the person that they had come to visit.

"Sawada-san! Please do not let in suspicious people! What was that just now...? Exorcists and priestesses? The other patients will think that someone was possessed and become frightened. We do not want that in a hospital Sawada-san!"

Yamamoto allowed himself through the open door. "You seem well. Look we came for a visit!"

Tsuna looked up shocked. "Yamamoto and Ashlynn came together?"

"My Dad told me to bring this, it's for you! And Ashlynn brought you some cookies too!" Yamamoto laid the sushi boat at the foot of Tsuna's hospital bed while Ashlynn placed the box at Tsuna's bedside table. Tsuna was looking at the boat of sushi with something akin to shock and possibly horror.

"Is...Isn't this really expensive?"

"Don't worry about it. Dad really likes to give people things."

"Oh, well thank you. Both of you."

"Haha, don't mention it."

"Oh? The young Vongola is injured? How terrible." The Lambo of the future sauntered into the room with his fingers rubbing against his forehead. He waved to Ashlynn as he sat down in the one of the chairs next to Tsuna's bed. The nurse blushed a dark red when he passed her to sit down.

"Adult Lambo?" Tsuna asked.

"I went back ten years so suddenly that I didn't have time to prepare anything as a get well present...Ah! I'll give this to you, young Vongola." The older Lambo pulled out an object that was covered with a handkerchief. He pulled the piece of cloth off revealing a small, golden toilet figurine. "Every month my family gives awards for excellence. This one is the 'Good job in cleaning the bathroom' award. Do you like it? It's shiny."

"Juudaime! Are you okay, Juudaime!"

The room's occupants looked over to the source of the shout and found Gokudera leaning heavily against the side of the door completely covered in his own blood and holding to something being crushed to his chest. He coughed and spat out blood from his mouth. Tsuna yelled extremely alarmed as Gokudera shut the door and wobbled towards the bed.

"Ask yourself that question first!"

Gokudera smiled but it looked like a grimace in his state. "Juudaime...I'm so glad that you are alright... I was in such a hurry when I found out that you had been injured that I got ran over a few times on my over...Oh...Juudaime...This is...a gift for you...I'm sorry...They were white roses earlier but..."

Gokudera presented a ruined bouquet of blood splattered roses to Tsuna. "I think that you should go see a doctor, Gokudera-kun. There's so much blood..."

"I'm perfectly fine, Juudaime. This is nothing compared to your wounds." Gokudera wiped a hand over his brow unknowingly spreading blood across his face.

Yamamoto crossed his arms. "You shouldn't stress yourself too badly."

Tsuna looked down at the gifts in front and beside him. 'Before...I wouldn't have gotten any visitors beside my mom, let alone being given gifts to get better...I really owe it to Reborn... even though this is mostly his fault.'

Everyone looked towards the door again as they heard scuffling and everyone jumped when the door actually fell off the hinges as a group of nurses fell from leaning against the door trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in the room. The nurse in the room stared the younger girls down and demanded what they were doing.

"This is totally unfair, chief!" One cried out trying to get out from underneath the pile of bodies.

"Yeah!" Another girl quipped. "you're taking all the pleasure for your own eyes! Not fair!"

The 'Chief' looked affronted at the accusations. "What!"

In the end, they were all kicked out of Tsuna's room for 'causing a ruckus amongst the staff.'. Ashlynn hadn't done anything, she had actually been quiet the entire time she had been in the room but since she was in association with Tsuna and the other boys in the room, the 'chief ' asked Ashlynn and Yamamoto to leave while she had one of the hospital staff take Gokudera to be checked by a doctor. Yamamoto offered to walk her back home. As they were leaving the war they heard the head nurse chewing Tsuna out.

"This will not do, Sawada-san! Please do not invite visitors who might seduce our nurses!"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn tucked her scarf a little tighter around her neck and placed her hands in the pockets of her winter jacket as she walked with Yamamoto across a long wooden bridge with a duffel bag slung across her shoulder. It was two weeks after Tsuna had been admitted into the hospital. Luckily he had only sustained a very slight sprain. Dino had picked her, Gokudera and Yamamoto up from their homes after being told via text message by Reborn, to dress warmly and to pack for two nights, they were going on a camping trip. They would be provided with tents, sleeping bags, toiletries and food so they didn't have to worry about those. He and Tsuna had already gone on ahead and would meet them at a place that Dino supposedly knew how to get to.<p>

She had given the allied Boss a skeptical look when he told her that none of his men would be joining them and had laughed when she asked if that was such a good idea. Ashlynn was reserving the right to say 'I told you so' when the time eventually came which she knew she would. Even though she had knowledge of what was going to happen, she was still very nervous and tried to pack accordingly for what was supposed to she was packing for the trip, Dolly had given her a few things to bring along with her: A pocket knife, a compass, a lighter, flint, and tinder. The older woman was about to hand Ashlynn her pistol before she changed her mind. She would see about getting Ashlynn a permit to legally carry a firearm. Even if she was part of a budding new generation of a mafia crime family and had her chakrams, some permits here and there would most likely go a long way. And if she was ever stopped by the police she could subtly rub it in their face.

"Ugh...so cold! Why the hell are we going to a mountain in this kind of weather?" Gokudera grumbled.

"Yeah, but we don't normally get a chance to see nature like this though, I think its nice..." Yamamoto grinned.

Ashlynn ignored the two and allowed her mind to wander, thinking about a scorching desert with a volcanic eruption was making it seem a lot warmer than it really was. After living in Illinois all of her life she was rather used to the cold but thinking of warm things was a habit that she got from Flaithri during a bad snow day coming home from school once. Dino looked behind him at them.

"This is an un-explored region that's not even on the map. As an apology for hospitalizing Tsuna during training, I thought that this would be a good place to have a heart to heart talk. Spending a few nights in a place like this deepens the family's unit and builds trust amongst its' members."

"You'd think we do that every morning before school when I have to help Gokudera to do a split." Ashlynn snickered then added as an afterthought. "Though ever since Ryohei has started joining us we've become more lively in the mornings. I've gotten a few complaints from the neighbors..." . Yamamoto looked over and grinned."

Gokudera lit a cigarette."What the hell are you talking about, you worthless bastard! Where's the Juudaime? Is he really out here?"

"Don't worry. He's already gone ahead with Reborn. Guessing from the time, they're probably having lunch right about...now...hmmm? Reborn! What on Earth are you doing? We weren't going to train today!"

"Heeeelp!" Tsuna pleaded. He was tied upright against a tall boulder under a waterfall and his hands were also tied so his hands looked like he was meditating under the cold water. Reborn was sipping slowly from a thermostat on the ground next to the pool of water, completely dry. He looked up at the group as Gokudera, Yamamoto and Dino dropped their bags to the ground. Ashlynn kept hers on one shoulder.

"Ciaossu. It's boring to just have a heart to heart talk on a mountain. And it took you guys a while to get here, so I decided have some fun while we waited."

"Don't use me as your toy!" Tsuna yelled when he was released by Gokudera.

Reborn leaped up onto Dino's shoulder and showed off the turtle in his hands. "Fnn, you're right. No training. Now, let's 'play' with Enzio."

Reborn tossed Enzio in Tsuna's direction who was just getting out of the water. He missed catching the turtle and Enzio plopped into the pool underneath the waterfall. Ashlynn groaned in dismay. 'This what I was worried about!' Enzio sponged up the water and towered over the treetops and roared at them. Yamamoto looked up in awe. "What is that?"

Gokudera made a hand sign. "It's the spirit of the mountain! The spirit of the mountain is angry at us! Please, Great Spirit, Calm down! Be at peace! We mean no harm to you or the mountain and the forest! Peace!" He started to chant to himself.

"There's nothing that we can do now that he's that big! Everyone! To the other side of the bridge!" Dino ordered dragging Gokudera from his spot before the Gargantuan Enzio stomped on the boy. Yamamoto grabbed Reborn from Dino and ran to the bridge following after Ashlynn. Dino turned around at the edge of the bridge and brandished his whip in front of himself. "I'll buy you some time so you guys go on ahead of me!"

"Wait!" Gokudera called out. "Your worthless whip won't be effective against that thing! Juudaime! Get behind me!"

'He's right!' Tsuna thought in a panic. "Without his men, Dino-san can't do anything!'

"Stop talking nonsense and get out of here okay! Just leave it me!" Dino cracked the whip at the fast approaching Enzio and slashed the ropes that tied the bridge to the ground. "Oh No!"

"You fucking moron!" Gokudera screeched as the bridge collapsed on itself.

Ashlynn panicked, she had been farther in the middle of the bridge than everyone else. The dufflebag fell off her shoulder heavily to the ground beneath them. Her stomach dropped and her voice caught in her throat as they all free falled. 'Dino! I fucking told you so!' The boys managed to hit some trees on the way down but Ashlynn landed hard right into the deep and fast water current of the river.

"Ashlynn!"

Someone was yelling out to her, she couldn't tell who it was over the roar of the waterfall. She was struggling to keep her head above the water as it mercilessly dragged her farther and farther away from the rest of the group. Ashlynn desperately tried to kick her legs up so that she could position herself to float but the rapids kept pushing her all around; her legs and feet were being dragged against small boulders underwater. She heard another yell before she smashed into something hard and she blacked out.

* * *

><p>"Ashlynn!"<p>

Tsuna groaned in pain as he lifted himself from the forest floor. He could see Yamamoto yelling as he ran beside the river trying to keep up with the figure that was immersed in the water. 'What! Figure! Oh no! Ashlynn fell in the water!'

"Ashlynn!"

"WAIT! Yamamoto!"

Tsuna looked up in time to see Yamamoto far ahead of them jump into the river and disappeared in the distance.

Tsuna stumbled to his feet. "Yamamoto?"

Where were they? Was Ashlynn able to hold onto something and Yamamoto was able to help her out of the water? Tsuna put a hand above his eyes to shield them from the sun as he looked for his friends. No luck. They were both gone.

"J-Juudaime! Juudaime, are you alright?" Gokudera shook his shoulder.

Dino stumbled to his feet. "Guys, I'm so sorry! Is everyone okay?...Guys?"

Tsuna grabbed Ashlynn's dark blue duffel bag that had landed just on the edge of the water and trudged back to where the others were sitting.

Gokudera snapped. "You fucking bastard! 'I'm sorry' isn't enough to cover all of this shit! We're missing two people now!"

"Gokudera, that's enough." Reborn ordered. Gokudera glared at Dino but relented when Tsuna sat heavily down on the thick branch that had fallen from the tree he had smashed into. Reborn looked at all of them before his eyes were shadowed by his fedora. "We need to remain calm. Right now we don't know if we can get home from here..."

"You're right!" Tsuna panicked. "Where are we anyway! And we need to find Ashlynn and Yamamoto!"

Gokudera pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, fortunately it hadn't been broken by the fall. "If we can call for help we can get a search and rescue team to aid us...Shit. No reception!"

"Hiiie! No way!"

"I'm sorry, Juudaime!"

"Wait a second, my phone can get a signal even in the middle of a desert. It's a satellite cell phone." Dino reached into his own pocket for the phone. What he pulled out was the phone snapped in three places and only being held together by a wire from inside the phone. Dino shook his head in guilt. "...It's broken. At least Enzio is back to his original size."

"We lost our bag of food too. All of our things were at the camp by the first waterfall." Reborn informed.

Tsuna grabbed at the sides of his head. "Are you serious!"

Dino sighed sadly. "We have no way of getting back to the camp and it looks like all we have is Ashlynn's bag."

"Open it. We'll see what we'll be able to use." Reborn kicked the back of Tsuna's head. The boy was beginning to panic too much.

Dino carefully undid the zipper around the bag and started pulling out each item for the hitman to inspect before he set them in different piles.

There was a medium sized, zippered bag that had a piece of tape on the top clearly labeled 'Change of clothes'. He immediately placed that to the side. Next were two light blue fleece blankets; he set those on his other side along with a compass, a pocket knife, and two zip-lock baggies. One had a lighter and a small box of matches and the other had pieces of paper and a handful of what looked like straw but was thinner and kind of springy.

Reborn nodded in approval. Even though the camp had things provided, Ashlynn had smartly packed essentials just in case for the worse scenario. He nodded for Dino to continue. Gokudera and Tsuna sat down and watched somberly as Reborn either modded at the item or shook his head indicating that something was not to be used.

The cell phone from the bag worked but like Gokudera's mobile it had no connection but it hah made Dino laugh when he saw the wallpaper. When the others gave him questioning glances he recited from the background picture. "Windows error, cannot comply. Windows was unable to comply with the 'Go to Hell' command that you specified."

Once everything was sorted Reborn had Dino place everything back into the bag with the most useful items on top then looked to the other two boys.

"We have a few things to make this more manageable: But we are still in the middle of a forest." He jumped on top of Dino's head dressed as a caveman with a hatchet, Leon had transformed into an elephant."If a bear were to appear on a day like today...Then it becomes a game of survival. We will have to be very careful."

Tsuna screamed at the hitman. "You're the only one who's getting the most out of this! This is all your fault anyway!"

"Calm down, Tsuna. We'll figure something out." Dino placated the boy.

"Look." Reborn pointed. "It's a cave."

Dino sighed relieved. "We could take shelter here to avoid the cold. But careful now. Don't get too close to it. It could some animal's nest." Dino warned. "I'll go look inside-"

"Wait! I can't leave this to the like of you. I'll go in." Gokudera stepped in front and made his way towards the cave and clicked open his own lighter.

"If anything happens scream really loud, okay?" Dino asked.

"Che. Who'd do that you moron?"

Gokudera entered the cave and walked inside until the three outside could no longer see him.

"GYAAAAAAA!"

"Hiiiiie! That was Gokudera-kun's scream!"

Reborn pulled out a gun. "Somethings coming this way."

* * *

><p>Ashlynn groaned and clenched her eyes shut and tried to reach her arm to her head but something was keeping her from doing so.<p>

"You okay?" the question came almost breathlessly.

She was on top of someone and that someone had their arms around her body and her head was tucked under the persons chin. "

"Yamamoto...? Ugh, my head hurts but I guess that's to be expected. Other than that I can't really tell..."

"Oh. Sorry." Yamamoto let go of her and allowed her to roll off of him to his side on the sand.

He had been worried that she wouldn't wake up since she had hit one of the boulders and then he had panicked when he saw her go underwater and not come back up for a time. He had jumped in and swam after her and pulled her to his body with one arm and tried to grab onto anything that may give them purchase. But as nothing held on too long for him to be able to pull the both of them out they were swept away further downstream so he had to wait until the river calmed enough that he was able to swim them over to the rivers edge and laid there with her in his arms on the sand and waited as he caught his breath and wondered what he should do.

"Do you know which way we came?" Ashlynn asked.

Yamamoto sat up and pointed to their left. "That way is upstream. We're pretty far away from the group by at least a good five miles at least. I wasn't able to get us out while the current was so fast."

Ashlynn nodded and shivered. The both of them were still wet from the water and the sun was beginning to set. She unzipped her jacket and pulled it off. "Though they're not all that wet, we should take our clothes off an use the sun to let them dry before it gets too dark."

"You're right. If we have to camp out here with no real supplies, the cold weather will be the worst thing. Do you think we should walk along the river back to the others?"

Ashlynn stripped down to her tank top and panty shorts and rung out the excess water from her hair. She had various scratches that had cut through her jeans to her skin but nothing too serious. She took a deep breath and despite being a bit roughed up she was very lucky that her skull hadn't been cracked open when she hit that boulder and that Yamamoto had jumped in after her otherwise she might have drowned. 'Calm. I need to stay calm. We know which way is upstream but we don't know if the group already moved on...what happened in this chapter...? The best course of action would be to stay here and wait for someone to find us...In this chapter they found a cave...and they find Bianchi who is with Haru, Lambo and I-pin. They were lost because of Lambo. They decide to make a fire...Gokudera tries to help but looks at Bianchi and drops dynamite (why would someone use dynamite to light a fire? They should have my bag with them!) Then Lambo throws grenades to help and they start a forest fire and...shit. That's all I remember.'

She looked at the setting sun and sighed. "We should stay here." She told Yamamoto. "They may have already moved from their spot. But I'm all for going if we see any kind sign that there's anyone in the area, like a campfire or something."

"Yeah you're right." He agreed quickly turning away. "Hmm? Oh, like that over there?" Yamamoto stood only in his boxers and pointed behind them at the faint outline of smoke rising above the treetops. Shortly after seeing the smoke there was a resounding boom from that direction.

"That sounds like Gokudera's dynamite and Lambo's grenades." She observed. "Looks like we won't have to stay here after all. Give a few more minutes for our things to dry then we'll start heading in that direction."

After poking her clothing and deeming them dry enough Ashlynn slipped on her jeans and long sleeved shirt and opted to tie her jacket around her waist since it was still a little damp. She turned to see Yamamoto do the same and when finished she handed him one of the chakram bracelets that she had placed on her ankles under her boots instead of on her wrists and couldn't be more happy with that decision. She would have lost them had she had them on her hands. Yamamoto wasn't too surprised by the weapon's second mode and explained that not long ago Reborn had given him a baseball bat that could turn into a katana but he didn't think to bring it with him.

After a quick drink from the river the two started through the tree lines towards the smoke in the distance.

By the time that the sun had fully set both of them had put their jackets back on as they trudged slowly between trees, roots and bushes. They had gone as far as they could go with what light they were able to get and tried to keep moving with the light of the rising moon.

"We should stop now. We're tired and we can't see not to mention that there are probably animals that could attack us." Yamamoto said quietly and helped Ashlynn to sit down at the base of a tree.

" Sorry. "She said and rubbed at her forehead dizzily. "I should have put more in more thought before we just started walking through."

"It's alright. Right now since we can't make it all of the way back to the group we should make our own fire. I'll look around for wood to use. Will you be okay right here?"

"Yeah." Ashlynn nodded. "Just be careful. And if you need me make sure to call. Give me a few minutes and I'll clear a space here that we can use."

Yamamoto started in the immediate area and two piles; one for sticks and wood and the other for dry leaves that they could use as tinder. Ashlynn stood up after a few minutes and started clearing a space and made a circle of rocks and put the pile of dry leaves in the middle.

"This is what I could find." Yamamoto laid down a good armful of dry wood then took one and kicked the middle of it making it snap in half. Then he made a newer pile of the halved pieces.

"Give me the chakram real quick."

He handed her the bracelet and watched as she took one of the steel rings and hit it against the other.

"I should have had some kind of quartz on me. That would have made a definite spark though I guess steel on steel will work and—ah there we go. Thank goodness." Ashlynn stooped low and lightly blew on the sparks that had landed on a dry leaf and helped it become a small flame. She stuck another leaf close to catch a bit of the flame before she set it next to the one that was quickly catching to the other leaves in the pile. Yamamoto handed her a few sticks and twigs and two of the branches.

Ashlynn sighed as they were able to successfully get the branches to catch on fire and immediately felt the warmth from the flames. She laid down on her side at a safe distance and cradled her head on her arms.

She looked up sleepily as an echo resounded in the area. "Sounds like they're just a biter farther along ahead."

"If we stay maybe they'll see the smoke..."

"Mmmhmm." Ashlynn agreed putting her head back down and stared at the flames.

"You can go ahead and sleep for a while if you want. I'll keep watch."

"Thanks Yamamoto."

She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the fire and was out in no time.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn woke up staring at the familiar too white hospital ceiling. She turned her head to see Dr. Ozumi shuffling papers at left side of the bed she was on. When he looked over he looked surprised that she had opened her eyes and told her so.<p>

"This is the second time you've come to this hospital with a concussion Meagher-san, I hope you weren't doing anything too dangerous. Cross-san and her daughter were in here just a little while ago." Ozumi motioned to the flowers that were on the nightstand on the right side of the bed. In one vase there was a small bunch of yellow flowers that actually looked like weeds but she recognized the other; a sprig of pear were also a few other flowers that looked out of place in the vase: a single sunflower, a purple flower with a yellow middle that she didn't know the name of, another purple flower that she knew to be a crocus and a purple hyacinth. Next to the flowers were a couple handmade cards made by the kids, mostly covered in hearts and 'Get well soon' in capital letters on the front and inside.

"They all have meanings you know." Ozumi said nonchalantly looking over her medical chart. Ashlynn nodded, everyone knew that flowers had meanings though she didn't know many of them herself. She looked over the vase again. Though it looked stuffed and a little ridiculous because of the extra flowers, Ashlynn appreciated the sentiment and thought it might not have been coincidence that most of the flowers were purple.

"The small yellow ones that look a bit like weeds are called colts foot: they mean maternal love and care," Ashlynn nodded and smiled. That one definitely had to be from Dolly. Ozumi continued. "The sprig is a cluster of pear blossoms..."

"Health and hope." Ashlynn said quietly. She knew that one, it was her mother's favorite fruit.

"The hyacinth when they are purple have a few meanings but generally mean the same thing. 'I am sorry, Please forgive me, and Sorrow.' The sunflower means homage and devotion, and the smaller purple flower, a crocus means 'youthful gladness, attachment and cheerfulness. The lighter purple flower is called aster, a flower for daintiness and a symbol of love. And this here, "Ozumi walked to the other side of the bed and pulled out a smaller vase that had been hidden behind the other cluster of flowers. It had a small bouquet of iris'. "Iris is also a flower with many meanings. 'Valor, Wisdom, Faith, Your Friendship means so much to me.'"

Ashlynn grinned and looked up at her doctor. "How long was I out? What time is it? And...how did I get here?"

"The prefect, Hibari-san and another boy admitted you here before they left. I couldn't hear much of what Hibari-san said but the general gist was something on the lines of herbivores and stupidity. You've been out for two days and as of right now it is a quarter after nine pm. I came to check on you before leaving.

I'm glad that you have woken up Meagher-san. You were suffering from more than just a concussion; you were covered in scrapes and gashes that luckily did not get infected and a case of hypothermia. I must ask that you be more careful for your health from now on."

"I will try Ozumi-san but I cannot make a promise I can't keep."

"...I guess that's the most that I can hope and ask for Meagher-san. We'll keep you here over night under surveillance to make sure that nothing more is wrong. If you're feeling up to it I will call Cross-san in the morning to have you discharged. I advise for the next few days that you do not partake in any strenuous activity, so please do try to get some rest. I'll call a nurse to have someone bring you something to eat."

"Thank you, Ozumi-san."

* * *

><p>Ashlynn could not believe what she had just seen in front of her.<p>

It was another few days after she had been discharged from the hospital and she had just left the place after getting a cursory appointment for a check-up with Ozumi-san and he had asked her again to try to be more aware for her safety. She hadn't seen him since that day when they went out to that stupid mountain to have a heart to heart talk that never freaking happened and once again Dino was back in Namimori to visit. Its not that she wasn't happy to see him, she was really and he was a really nice and sweet guy and all.

It's just she kept finding herself becoming concerned when she saw him without his men and it seemed that disaster was just peeking around the corner to look for a chance to cause mayhem. It was Saturday afternoon and she had nothing really to do since she was supposed to be taking a break from her normal training and Ran was working overtime at her job. So she made her way to Tsuna's house to drop off a batch of cookies that would be lucky to last an entire week like they were supposed to, then she would go back home and probably do laundry, being told to rest was entirely boring and she was feeling restless and that was being shown by how many batches of things she baked in her little apartment kitchen.

When she had turned the final corner to get to Tsuna's house, Ashlynn saw Dino. Getting on a bicycle. And none of his men were in sight.

She saw where this was going...

After only a few measly pedals that looked like it greatly boosted his confidence, Dino ran over a pebble. A pebble. Somehow trips, crashes into a light pole and falls off the bike. He quickly recovered himself with a slight stumble and then frantically looked around him to see if anyone saw his fall. Ashlynn made sure to make direct eye contact.

Dino blushed and look down dejectedly at his feet. She wasn't supposed to the see that at all. Ashlynn walked forward and brought the bike upright and gave him the handle to keep it upright. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Ashlynn nodded then turned to walk towards Tsuna's house again and stopped when she heard the bike crash and felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her curiously.

"Ashlynn, I want to say that I'm really, really sorry about what happened, if I had at least Romario with me then I would have been able to control Enzio. Actually, I should have never chosen an unmapped location in the first place. And I'm sorry tha-"

"It's okay, Dino, no one is at fault for this ,but if it would make you feel better; I forgive you."

"Thank you." Dino reached forward and kissed her cheek. She grinned and shook her head as he took the bike and got on it again.

Ashlynn decided that it would benefit her health and not embarrass the Boss by not asking what he was doing so ignored his yelp when he tripped again as she entered the Sawada home and presented the treats she brought to Maman and the kids. She was met happily with hugs from the kids and surprisingly also from Yamamoto; the boy had actually lifted her up in the air and span them around in circles. She ended up getting generally the same treatment she got from Dino minus the kiss on her cheek and she had to continually persuade them all that she was fine and that no one was at fault, not even Reborn, when Tsuna had glanced over to the hitman sitting on the low table in the room. She waved goodbye to the kids and Maman on the way out as the boys took it upon themselves (per Reborn's order) to walk her back home. Once they had all left she decided that laundry could wait until night time and she got back to work on baking; she wanted to give something to Hibari since he was most likely the one that had collected them from the mountain.

* * *

><p>Note:<p>

Famiglia = Family

Buongiorno = Good morning

Buonanotte = Good night

I ended up introducing Fon a lot early than I had originally intended but this has worked out very well. I want to point out that Ashlynn will ask questions even though she may already know the answers to, that way she may get new information and it won't seem that she knows something without anyone becoming suspicious that she knows.

'Shiu-mai' is steamed meat dumplings that is a regular delicacy in Dim Sum

I know that in the manga I-pin says herself that she doesn't have ears…I changed it to not having them big enough, because her ten-year-later self has ears…


	10. Chapter 10

**A big thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far ~~~**

I find it amusing that everyone is more interested in what Ran' job is this time through. Sorry to say it will be a long while till you find out exactly what she's been doing. Perhaps I shall make a better effort to give some small clues~~

**Akira Ciello**: Thank you Hun, your review made me smile. While I would like a lot reviews, even if it's only a 'good job' or whatnot (I especially like smiley faces and hearts) it's okay~ At least I'm not like some of the newbie writers that demand a certain number of reviews before uploading the next chapter. As for keeping good stories coming, I do have a few ideas in the works that are in the character profile and setting stage, though I won't be working on them solely until I feel I'm far enough in Caomhnóir (Perhaps when I get past the Future Arc...). But I will say that one of them is another Katekyo Hitman story and the other is my own creation~

**Anon**: Another reviewer that made me smile~ And thank you for the note and you're right; Ashlynn does seem rather blase about everything so I'll definitely keep it in mind as I continue. Cheers!~

* * *

><p>"<strong>I think the very word stalking implies that you're not supposed to like it. Otherwise, it would be called 'fluffy harmless observation time'."<strong>

**-Molly Harper**

**Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart... filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.**

**- Bess Streeter Aldrich**

* * *

><p>Hiroto was more than aware of the fact that he might have been going a bit overboard with trying to get the American transfer student to go out with him. Already many of his friends had tried to persuade him to give up his chase. Not every girl he asked was going to go out with him. There were many many others that he could set his sights on. Like the pretty brunette in the class next to his or the raven haired girl in the grade above him.<p>

Yet he found himself not particularly caring though he definitely would pursue them when he was finished with this current conquest in the making.

But he did realize that it was probably a bit too much that he had followed her to her apartment without her knowing what he was doing. Even though he knew this it didn't really stop him from doing so. He really couldn't help himself. She was pretty hot and he wanted her; it was as simple as that, really. He guessed it was a matter of pride; he was the most popular of his year mates and was rather well-known amongst the upperclassmen of the school and a couple of the schools in the surrounding towns. He was the founder and captain of the wrestling club, he was good-looking, in the top five of his class grade-wise, and he knew himself to be even charismatic; so why was she playing so fucking hard to get! It was ridiculous!...Was it that banana joke he made with his friends when they were at the bakery she worked at? Was that why she was giving him the cold shoulder and hanging out with the social pariah?

Nah, that couldn't possibly be the reason. She was probably playing hard to get because she either wanted a chase or she wanted to make sure he was worth her time which he was until he decided that she was no longer worth his time. Or it could be the Hiraoka girl warning Ashlynn against him. Yes, that definitely had to be it. And he would have to figure out just what he was going to do about getting the other girl out of the picture.

Anyway, it wasn't as if he spent every waking moment following after her. He was in charge of the wrestling club, he had his studies to keep at the top of the class and that took up a lot of his time along with other... activities he had going on that needed his explicit attention. Though he did try to make as much time as he could. He needed to find out all the possible reasons why she was shunning him and hung out with Hiraoka Ran. Sure Ashlynn had been assigned the seat next to the girl because the person that used to sit there was currently in the hospital for reasons he had no interest in. But since Ashlynn knew her way around the school's campus and how the class schedule worked there should have been no reason to stay with the girl let alone befriend her. Hiroto briefly entertained the thoughts of Ashlynn being friends with Hiraoka out of pity or that Ashlynn could also secretly be a lesbian and the two of them were now dating each other but those ideas were shot down. He wanted to date the girl and that wouldn't work out if she was into chicks. On the other hand if she was bisexual than it wouldn't have been too much of a problem because it would mean that she still liked guys and wouldn't say no to having a threesome. He certainly wouldn't say no to that.

So he started off lightly and slow; he followed her home to really scout the area and would have actually made it to her apartment if that crazy woman with the shotgun hadn't started firing at him and he ended up with a restraining order to stay away from the apartment complex. What was really bothering him about that was that when that lady shot at him none of the residents that lived there looked out to see what was happening. It was like they were all deaf or that woman fired off that gun often enough that it didn't bother any of them. Both reasons weren't all that comforting. But he didn't let the restraining order stop or slow him down, sure he wouldn't be able to get into her apartment by any legal means but he still had the same classes in school except for English and whenever the girls split from the boys and did their own thing for P.E., he used to see her at Fukano's bakery but after that time that he went there with his friends she either stopped working in the front or stopped working there altogether. He had seen her go to Namimori Middle a few times when she didn't leave school with Hiraoka and he saw her go to a house with the name Sawada on it. He also knew that she ran with a group of boys every morning down at the canal and then back to her apartment when they were finished with their races and stretches.

Hiroto still had hope of changing Ashlynn's mind. Once she told that woman with the shotgun that the two of them were dating he could get that pesky little restraining order off and rub it in shotgun lady's face as he had Ashlynn in her own home… before he decided to drop her in sight of something new. But to attain his goal he needed to gather information; the first thing he had looked at were her school transcripts. She was from Illinois, had great grades, was in track and field, had become an orphan over the past year and had been diagnosed with something called Fugue, whatever that was. Other than that he just couldn't find anything! Hell, she didn't even bother to have an account on any of the social networking sites online! Which meant that he'd have to compile info and pictures together from his own observations in school and when he followed her after school with his own personal camera. He had to admit some of them were pretty impressive shots with different perspectives and lighting. He even considered becoming a professional photographer later on in his life.

One thing that had been annoying him was the fact that she seemed to be friends with a bunch of boys from the middle school. Didn't she realize that if only she hadn't run off to be friends with Hiraoka she could have actual friends in high school instead of looking in the younger grades? Hiraoka was really the only thing that kept the majority of the freshman class away from the American transfer student. But no, she stays with Hiraoka and gets friends with middle school boys. And what was surprising was the little baby that dressed in a black suit and wore a fedora that followed the makeshift group either in Ashlynn's arms or on the short brown haired kids' head. But even more unnerving was the fact that the whenever Hiroto trailed after them with thoughts solely on the only girl in the group the baby always seemed to know what he was doing and every single time the baby glared in his direction. No, that couldn't be right. Babies can't glare, it must have been a trick of the light, he convinced himself and he brushed it off as a coincidence and continued on with his self-appointed quest.

If only he could get to her when she was alone! He got close a few times, like the one instance where she was with a taller pink-haired female (who was also really Hot!) were walking with bags to the Sawada house. Though he had missed a few chances because for some reason there were purple projectiles hitting and killing birds in the area and for some reason the dead animals dropped right on top of him. By the time he made it to the last corner to the Sawada home Ashlynn had just gone inside and the whole street in front of the house was filled with men and some women in suits and guns standing guard. He had asked who was so important to need so many guards and demanded that they move out of the way or to have them fetch Ashlynn for him.

The glares and smirks sent his way nearly made him soil himself.

Thankfully the leader of the guards outside ordered one man to inform a man named 'Reborn' of Hiroto's presence and that he wanted Ashlynn to come outside or he would come get her himself. 'Reborn's' answer? Hiroto was to be shot on sight if he dared to intrude on Sawada property and that Ashlynn didn't have to go out if she didn't want to. The guards then pointed their weapons at him in warning and he was forced to leave.

After he went to eat he decided to go back to the Sawada house to see if the guards had left and if Ashlynn would walk home where he imagined himself revealing himself a little less than halfway and offer to walk her the rest of the way home and when they'd get there she'd be grateful for his protection from any miscreants and she'd invite him inside then things would go on from there. All problems solved!

Luckily the guards were gone when he peeked over the corner of the wall and he appeared to be just in time to see a large group of people plus Ashlynn starting to leave the house with little hand held buckets and soap. They were going to go to the public baths! Lucky! Hiroto turned back and sprinted all the way back to his own apartment and gathered his bath things and his camera and rushed over to the communal baths. Predictably the girls and the children all went towards the women's private baths and the two older males (the short brown haired kid from the group of middle school boys and a blonde smiling man) went into the men's side of the baths. Hiroto himself chose the somewhat smaller co-ed bathing area where everyone appropriately covered themselves with towels to preserve their modestly, not that Hiroto really cared. He quickly made his way to the edge of the way facing the women's baths and slightly moved a loose plank that he had found a few years before and was able to snap a picture of his obsession without any clothes on! He decided that just one for that day was wise and quickly went about his business cleaning himself and making sure that his camera did not sustain any damage from the steam or water and was out of the baths before Ashlynn ever knew that he was there.

That had been such a good productive day...

There was one time that he had been successful in getting her alone though his friends had vehemently claimed that it didn't count seeing as she had been unconscious. He had heard that Ashlynn had been in an accident while on a small camping trip during the weekend and he decided to check in on her health. He had been in a rush when he heard so he hadn't had time to stop and buy her flowers to show that he cared for her well-being but he had a better get well gift in mind to present her. She had been asleep the entire time that he was visiting so she wouldn't know about the kiss he granted her unless someone other than him told her or if she ever got her hands on the security video. He wanted to be the one to tell her about it! And show her the picture of him kissing her! He also had a great idea to use this opportunity to separate her from Hiraoka; he just needed a little more time before he put the plan into action. Perhaps he would show off all the picture of Ashlynn he had collected over the past year? He had a whole scrapbook of all his conquests and as of yet the collection of Ashlynn was by far the greatest! And so far his favorites was the one when a shot of her while at the public baths where he got an amazing picture of her in the nude, one from the school cultural festival where she had been dressed as a French maid, and the last one was taken October thirty-first when he saw her wearing a black tube top, little black shorts, black gloves, shoes, kitty ears and a tail. Obviously the girl hadn't known that Japan doesn't quite celebrate Halloween the way that the United States does yet.

Some good times he had during the past year. But now, now he was putting his plans into motion and the first step was to get into the apartment complex where Ashlynn lived. He had some supplies that would knock her clean out and then he'd take her back to his apartment and while he was at school he would break the news to Hiraoka that Ashlynn was actually really disgusted with her and never wanted to see her face again. And then he'd go on that Ashlynn had only become friends with her in the first place was mostly pity and that Hiraoka tried so very hard to please her that Ashlynn could have turned her into her own personal slave if she wanted. But she didn't. He would tell the girl that Ashlynn was sick of seeing her ugly mug day in and day out and wanted it to stop. And when Hiroka would fall to the ground in tears he would inform the girl that Ashlynn had been dating him since day one and everything had been an act to fool Ran into thinking that Ashlynn was really her one and true friend. And since tomorrow was Christmas Eve she'd feel abandoned on the holiday and become so distraught that she'd transfer out of school and move to a different town far away! It was the perfect plan to get rid of Hiraoka! Hiroto smirked underneath the scarf wrapped around his face and neck to protect him from the oncoming cold as he waited until the black haired kid he recognized as the star pitcher from the Namimori Middle baseball team left the apartment complex so he could commence his top secret mission to retrieve his woman and sneak out with her unconscious in his arms. Hiroto adjusted the strap of the small backpack he carried with him and moved out of his stationed position right outside the complex and hefted himself over the wall surrounding the area and over to the grassy area on the other side. He mentally cheered in his head, stage one getting inside the area was a success and was ready to move onto the second stage where he'd use his amazing and superior stealth to make it to Ashlynn's front door without being detected by anyone in the complex.

He was sorely mistaken about how good his 'stealth skills' really were as he was slammed down right into the wall he just climbed over and about to walk away from and the barrel of a gun was pointed harshly to his forehead. He had been caught and he was just barely into the operation!

The first thing he saw other than the gun aimed at his head was a black fedora and a small green looking lizard staring eerily at him from its perch on the brim of the hat. Then he glanced at just who was wearing the hat and came face to face to the suit wearing baby. There was a shadow covering the smaller males face as he spoke lowly.

"This shall be your first and last warning Tenma Hiroto. If I ever find that you are trailing after Meagher Ashlynn again, you will have the Vongola Family and then some after your hide."

'V-Vongola Family...?' Hiroto sweated underneath the pressure of the barrel against his temple. He closed his eyes. How? How was a freaking baby able to sneak up on him? And be able to push him down so hard and where the hell did a baby learn how to properly handle a gun!...Hunh...?' He slowly opened eyes when the weight of the gun was no longer pressed onto him. '..He's...he's gone...?'

Hiroto stepped up from the grass beneath him and brushed off the little pieces he could see on his pants then looked around. Had that really happened? He shook his head. No! It couldn't have happened; it was a baby and no baby could have that sort of force, hell, a baby that age shouldn't know how to talk or use a gun! It must have been some sort of hallucination! He must have tripped himself when he came over the wall and hit his head a little bit to start seeing things. But now he was fine. There weren't any talking gun-wielding babies in the area. He was safe. And he had a mission to accomplish! With new found confidence he stepped towards the first building of the complex then jumped back to lean against the wall behind him as a shot just in front of where his foot was about to mark the ground. Hiroto's eyes widened as he fearfully raised his head up to the second floor in front of his target's front door where he should have made it to. There was the baby that had threatened him just moments before lounging on the railing. It hadn't been a hallucination at all! It had all been real! He gulped as a shadow covered the top part of his face and even from his distance Hiroto could see the kid's mouth forming into a smirk as he lazily reloaded and aimed his gun straight at him and shot three, four times in quick succession hitting the wall on both sides of Hiroto's arms. It didn't hit him but it was successful in scaring the shit out of the teenager and caused the boy to give up on trying to make it to the girl's home in favor of preserving his life by scrambling back over to the other side of the wall and running fearfully back to the safety of his own home.

As he leaned panting in exhaustion against the thoroughly locked door of his apartment he swore to himself that he'd never tell a soul about what happened. No one ever in a million years believe him if he said a baby had scared him away, even if said baby had shot at him with a real life gun with real life bullets that could have easily ended his life! No, no one must ever know about the experience so he'd tell closest friends that knew what his plan was about that he had been attacked by the crazy lady with the shotgun. It was much more believable than a fucking infant wearing a suit carrying a handgun, that's for sure. He'd be made into a joke if he ever made such a claim.

Once calmed down Hiroto chucked his small bag into a closet before making his way to his bedroom and froze in shock in the open doorway… his computer...

His top of the line laptop computer laid there on his bed in chunks and little broken pieces. All the school assignments that he had gone ahead and finished for the next few chapters in each class, important documents that he hadn't gotten around to saving to a usb, all the numbers, profiles and pictures he had for all the girlfriends he'd ever had, gone. All gone. Why? Why would someone break into his home just to break his laptop? Why didn't they just steal it instead (because he'd be able to track whoever took it down and reclaim his property)? If this was broken did that mean..? That some of his other belongings suffered the same fate...?

His eyes widened and he completely tore through his apartment and scoured for all important documents and technology and either found them broken into pieces or just downright missing. This was terrible; a complete nightmare! How was he supposed to explain all of this!

Hiroto ran a tired hand through his hair as he slumped onto the couch in the living room next to a bright fireplace and stared at the black empty screen of his television set. There was a fire flaring brightly in the pit of the fireplace...that he didn't...remember ever lighting!

"No! Not that too!" Hiroto stumbled off the couch to the front of the fireplace and poked at the objects being burned away with a log of wood; the remnants of the scrapbook binder that held together the many pictures he had gathered of many previous lovers and new possibilities and also broken electronics that he immediately recognized as his second phone and his really nice camera. He sat back in shock as the flames finished off the job of burning everything away. It was gone, all gone. And he had no idea who had done it all.

* * *

><p>It turned out to be not as bad as Reborn had originally thought it was going to be but had decided that it was best to get this situation nipped in the bud before it got out of control and became messy to fix. Though Ashlynn had definitely learned from the experience; being more aware of her surroundings, how to find if someone was tailing you, how to make it seem she had no idea and how to lose the tail from. Ashlynn had taken to those lessons with enthusiasm and a good amount of gratitude to Bianchi for graciously imparting the knowledge.<p>

Reborn smirked as he personally made sure that every picture in the scrapbook he found with the confines of Tenma Hiroto's upscale apartment. He even through in the actual book into the fireplace along with a few more questionable items and collections that he had dug up that joined in the blaze. And it wasn't all that hard to find everything of importance to the boy whether it was electronics, important papers and other items that the boy had stashed around the place. He had taken the initiative to completely destroy the boy's laptop computer with a Leon-transformed sledgehammer before chucking the pieces into a heap onto the boy's bed. The boy was in for a bit of disappointment when he came home for the night that was for sure and he wasn't even finished with the kid yet! Oh no, this wasn't all that he was going to do. Just destroying important possessions and burning the majority of those personal items just wasn't his style and Reborn knew that it would be exceedingly foolish if he just left things as they were now. There was a perfectly good reason why he was the most famous of all Hitmen and women. He knew exactly where, when, how hard to hurt a persona whether it be physically, mentally, financially, socially, or all at the same time or in quick succession. Tenma Hiroto would be getting the whole package and given Hell on Earth.

"I'm listening."

"I have a job for you."

"Oh really? And what does the great Reborn need my help with...?" The voice on the phone sounded amused. It wasn't very often nowadays that anyone called him up and it had been a good many years since someone of Reborn's level would ever contact him. Not since that one time when... "Ah, I understand. What are we hitting for? Or is that information classified, my friend?"

"A persistent male that has passed the line of sexual harassment and cannot take a hint. The female in question is a member of the next generation of the Vongola Famiglia. I want to make it perfectly clear that she is not to be bothered and that the Vongola is not going to stand for this type of behavior directed at one of its members."

"Vongola huh? Then why isn't she taking him out herself? Surely the girl is capable enough of taking out a suitor by herself?"

"She is an undercover agent at a high school close to where the Ninth's heir is attending the middle school. There has been information that there may be a mafia member who is not allied with us in her class so it is imperative that her cover is not blown. As for capability; she can hold her own against Poison Scorpion Bianchi in a fight. The girl is learning to cheat very well." Reborn poked at the fire and added a smaller log into the pit.

"High school you say? Well, Reborn my friend, I must say you've successfully caught my interest. Since there may be an enemy in the room I'm guessing you want some subtlety that the Vongola is doing something about this but not so much that the other mafia member will realize that there is any involvement from the underground. Hmmm, it's been awhile since we have used a police guise to do our work. I've heard that you've been sent to Japan. Perhaps a team disguised as riot police or a Special Assault Team..."

"Go with the Special Assault Team. The riot police are committed to using non-lethal force and we mafia don't play that way."

"Haha! Too right! Consider it done Reborn. When do you want this and do you have any requests other than trespassing onto school grounds, breaking down doors, and causing general mayhem?"

"Tomorrow. Remove him from the campus to safe house just outside of Namimori. I have some plans to put into play once the boy is taken into our custody." Reborn poked the fire again and added in a few more of the boy's possessions to the blaze."

The man on the other side of the line whistled. "You sure like popping up assignments for me out of the blue don't you? I hope this wasn't planned on purpose to make me scramble. You know that I don't like that."

Reborn smirked. "Keeps your forces from growing complacent in times of relative peace."

"Yes, yes. Very well we'll be there in the morning at the safe house before the operation begins. I'm sure there's more information that you can't tell me over the phone."

"I'll see you then, Algar."

"Till the morning my friend."

After a quick cursory check to make sure he didn't find anything that he could destroy (though he did screw with some of the furniture; the legs on all the chairs, tables, and the bed) Reborn calmly left the house with a nice fire going in the pit and left to check on Ashlynn before heading back home for dinner with Maman and torturing his loser student. Not surprisingly he found Tenma lurking at the walls of the complex and the kid moved to climb over the wall well after Yamamoto had left after walking Ashlynn home. Reborn smirked and decided that a little warning to the boy was in order.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn woke the day of Christmas Eve with a funny feeling. It wasn't a good kind of funny or a bad kind of funny, nor a 'I'm not feeling so well' funny or even a ha-ha kind of funny. She knew that it was nothing like the dread that she felt the day she had been hit by a car and sent to an anime universe and it wasn't the feeling she knew when waking up and knowing that there's a Christmas Eve party (This year she was being taken with Fukano-san) and that Christmas is just another twenty-four hours away. She really couldn't find any other words to describe it other than it was a funny feeling. And it was distracting her; when training with the boys that morning she was quiet throughout the all the exercises which caused Ryohei to shake her and demand what was wrong and that he'd try to 'Help her to the EXTREME!'. She didn't see any reason to keep it from them so she told them about the funny feeling she was having. She was sure that something big was going to happen today but had no idea what.<p>

"Reborn-san? Could this mean that Ashlynn has a small ability to know of the future? She may not see it with her eyes but can feel it with her very soul?"

"G-Gokudera-kun..."

Ashlynn nearly choked on water. 'Trust Gokudera to ask something like that. I bet he's read all sorts of legends and superstitions...he probably waits thirty minutes after eating before he swims too.'

"Perhaps." Reborn shrugged then asked her. "Has something like this happened before?"

She hummed then told them honestly. "Only a couple times; the last time it was a feeling of dread and by the end of that day I was run over by a car and sent to the hospital with a concussion. I seem to get those often."

"Hiiiiie! Are you serious!"

"Then it should be safe to say that Gokudera is right about his assumption of being able to know of the future." Reborn nodded and Gokudera eerily at her started jotting down notes on a pad a paper he didn't have a few seconds ago, now totally convinced that she was some sort of seer and he even asked if it was a trait of her family.

"Seanmháthair Aine, my grandmother, I'm sure she was able to actually see the image of whoever she looked at would become in the future and seemed to know some things that would happen soon but was never able to view her own image or see anything of her own future. She told me once when that she had once tried using her mirror's reflection to see if she was able to see anything for her own future. It didn't work."

"It would have been pretty cool if she was able to." Yamamoto smiled.

"I guess," Ashlynn shrugged.

"I EXTREMELY disagree! I believe that one has to live by fighting their way through life without any warning! Grapple with any opponent that stands in your way! Battle to be the best! Crash through expectations put on you! LIVE LIFE TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei added in his opinion punching the air. "You agree with me, right Sawada!"

"Hiiiiie! Nii-san!"

"Oi Turf Top! You release the Juudaime this instant or I'll blast your face off!"

"Hahaha! Come on Gokudera it's just his opinion~ calm down." Yamamoto laughed.

Ashlynn smiled. "Yeah Gokudera, don't tell me you weren't even a little moved by that speech."

"S-shut up!"

Ryohei who still had an arm thrown around Tsuna's shoulder threw his other around Gokudera. "You agree with me then? You and Sawada should join my EXTREME boxing club so that we may always be able to fight with each other!"

"Nii-san! I told you I didn't want to join~"

"No way Turf Top!"

As they left to go change and leave her apartment with their schoolbags Ashlynn left for school motivated for the day. She met Ran at the campus gates and walked together (Ran skipping in a jolly mood) to homeroom. Seeing nothing unusual Ashlynn completely buried the funny feeling from earlier and listened to Ran explain with a sketch of a costume she was trying to make and what materials she still needed to get. Nothing out of the ordinary popped up when Sensei started class and asked for them to keep focus even though it was Christmas Eve. There was nothing wrong during any of the lectures. Just a normal school day.

Until only minutes before lunch break.

Sensei allowed them the final ten minutes of class while he started to grade to grade turned in assignments. Ran and Ashlynn were playing squares on the back of a piece of scratch paper while ignoring the noise around them. Ashlynn carefully peered at the page between the two them. Ran was still winning with fourteen squares with her initial, nine more than her measly six squares and there was still more than half the dots they had drawn on preceding the game. She drew a line between two dots away from the clump of lines and initialed squares and waited for Ran to decide if there was a square to finish that Ashlynn didn't see, add to the growing clump or to add onto the new line.

She thought nothing of the fact that the room became quiet as she continued on with the game though she was now able to here a few screams coming from the classroom on the other end of the hall, smiling when Ran unknowingly gave her seven squares. Her smile of triumph quickly transformed into a frown when someone pulled on her arm making her stumble to her feet, spun around, someone's face crashing into hers, a tongue licking at her mouth and the sound of a few cheers, whistles and catcalls from the class.

Tenma.

Ashlynn blinked owlishly as arms wrapped around her waist. She could see out of the corner of her eyes that Ran was shocked but that ended as tears swelled up in the other girls eyes then gathered her things and left the room and slamming the door shut. Tenma smirked at how well this was going out and Ashlynn was still a little dazed. He moved his hands down from her waist and squeezed her bottom with a charming smile.

"Since it's Christmas Eve I thought I'd go ahead and tell everyone that we are now officially going steady."

Ashlynn's eyes narrowed. "Steady?"

"Of course! Oh, you thought otherwise? Well then, tonight I'll make sure that you don't have any more lingering doubts about our relationship! That's a promise! So what would you like to do before tonight's festivities? We can do whatever you want."

"...Anything I want...?"

"That's right, babe, anything you want to do you can do it. You're my girlfriend so anything that I can possibly get you can and will be yours, all you have to do is say the word. So what would you like to do? Come on now; don't be shy because we in front of a crowd. Tell me~"

"Really? Okay." To the shock of everyone in the room Ashlynn reared her closed fist back and slammed it as hard as she could into Tenma's face, tripped him as he staggered back, then while he was down she 'accidentally' kicked him square in the nads a few times, then she grabbed him by the hair to make him look at her and gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you Tenma for giving me permission. You've got know idea how long I've wanted to hurt you for the harassment that you've given me. And by the way; I never agreed to go steady with you. Hell, I never agreed to go out with you in the first place! Merry Christmas douche bag and have a happy fucking New Year. Hope that your hand doesn't get tired of you over the break."

It was almost like the scene a few months ago when Ran punched Tenma in the face for bothering them only Ran had fled and Ashlynn wasn't staring at her fist in wonder. By the time that Sensei had regained his senses and moved to reprimand her for her crass behavior and send her down to the principal to expel her the doors of the classroom were completely ripped off its hinges and fell to the floor with a bang as men and women rushed through the opening! A few of the girls in the front row jumped and screamed in surprise but was quickly motioned to sit back and remain in their seats quietly as more members of the force entered and secure the room. One of the men stepped to the front of the room as an elderly man with silver hair entered the classroom at a leisurely pace as if he were only on a nice peaceful stroll. The younger man saluted him which he returned drawing attention to the fact that he was missing his pinkie and index finger on his right hand. The two men conversed in low whispered tones and Ashlynn noticed that a few glances were thrown not so discreetly in her direction. When the older man caught her eye he gave a small nod before whispering some more. The silver-haired man finally nodded after awhile then addressed Sensei who was visibly cowering when he set his gaze on him.

"I apologize for disrupting your class and for ruining the doors, sir." His eyes surveyed the room and caught Ashlynn's eyes before settling on something or someone behind her then asked a question to the class though it seemed to Ashlynn he already knew the answer. "Tell me. Which of you is Tenma Hiroto?"

"..."

"I will ask again; which of you is Tenma Hiroto? Speak up!" He barked.

Tenma sitting shakily in his seat slowly raised his hand into the air. "...I am, sir."

The man gave a feral grin. "Are you now? Sullivan!"

The man that saluted earlier stepped forward. "Sir?"

"Take him."

"Yes, sir."

"W-what!" Tenma yelled as two personnel grabbed him under the arms and lead him through the opening where the door had been and began to struggle against their grasp, even more so when his arms were forced behind his back and restrained by hand cuffs. "What are you doing! Hey!"

The silver haired man looked at Sensei again as he was about to leave the room. "Again, my apologies. Have a nice day, sir. You may continue on with your class at this time."

"Wait! Why did you forcefully take away one of my students! Why not just ask for him over the P.A. and have him sent to the Principal? And just what has he done to warrant this treatment?"

The man smiled. "To make sure he didn't try to escape. Don't worry too much about the boy. We'll take good care of him while he's in our custody."

When the man left the majority of the class leaped to their feet and crowded by the openings to see the other three classes doing the same thing, watching as the force of people walked through the hallway with Tenma Hiroto restrained and hollering at his captives.

"What is it! What did I do! Whatever it is I'm innocent! Innocent I tell you! I didn't do it! Let me go right now! You've got no right to treat me this way! I am innocent! Help! Someone help me!"

A woman beside him on his right sighed as she turned to look at him. "Kid, you should really stop struggling. You're only making this a lot harder on yourself."

"Fuck you bitch! Just let me go! I don't deserve any of this shit!"

She shook her head then fell back into line and ignored the profanities that spewed from the boy's mouth as he was herded out of the front doors through the courtyard and gates and pushed straight into an armored car. Tenma moved himself up to his knees and the last thing he saw before the doors closed and locked on him was the suit wearing baby staring right back at him with a smirk before walking away.

* * *

><p>While the rest of her classmates leaned out the room as Tenma was escorted through the halls then immediately stampeding to get a good view from the windows as Tenma was thrown into the back of an armored car, each of them sharing theories of why their popular classmate was being carted away to some unknown location by a force of a tactical squad. Many of those theories involved Ashlynn herself but she ignored the looks and whispers, taking advantage that it was now lunch break she gathered her things into her bag and left the room before Sensei could regain himself again and send her to be expelled. She had better things to do than wait and listen while Sensei exaggerate and accuse her. No, she needed to find Ran and explain what happened. She needed to explain the situation and that she was not in anyway seeing the boy that had been taken away by police. Her friend needed to know that their friendship wasn't going to end. She wouldn't allow let it end this way.<p>

Of course that was easier said than done.

She had absolutely no luck in finding Ran on school campus and since she wasn't behind the gym shed like she had been the first time that she had run off Ashlynn was left scouring the rest of the grounds while blatantly ignoring the P.A. system calling for her to return to class or to report to the principal's office. When it was clear that Ran was no longer on campus and still no answer from any of her calls or texts to both the girl's home and cell number Ashlynn decided to to leave the campus and go home.

"Something happen?"

The question was innocent enough, it was the speaker that made her think otherwise. Ashlynn gave a tired smile as she pressed the correct sequence of numbers on her coded lock and opened the door for her guest to enter before her. "I think you know very well what's happened today, Reborn."

"Fnn, humor me."

Ashlynn brought out a pitcher of lemonade and two cups and poured for the both of them before sitting at the island counter. "I guess this is what that funny feeling this morning was about...well, everything was normal until a few minutes until the bell sounded for lunch. Sensei gave us the remaining time of class while he graded papers. Well Tenma grabbed at me, tried to shove his tongue down my throat, then had the audacity to claim that we were going steady and said that if I had any doubts then he'd make sure to get rid of them by tonight's festivities. I'm sure he was alluding to us having sex. Then he asked me what I wanted to do before that and said it was my choice and I could do whatever I wanted to. So I chose to punch him in the face and kick him in the balls while he was down on the floor. I thanked him for giving me permission, called him a douche bag, told him to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope that his hand doesn't get tired of him over the holiday."

Reborn motioned for her to continue.

"Then these men an women in uniform kicked down the sliding doors and surrounded us and their leader, a silver haired man that only had three fingers on his right hand came strolling in. He talked with one of them and they kept looking my way or Tenma's way 'cause he sits two rows behind me but he nodded to me when I caught his eye. He and the other man whispered some more before the man apologized to Sensei for interrupting the class and the ruin of the doors. Then he asked which was Tenma though it was like he already knew who he was but was asking anyway. He had to ask twice before Tenma answered. Then Sullivan (that's name the leader used for the other male) and another person dragged Tenma away. When Sensei asked why they didn't call for him on the P.A. system he said to make sure that Tenma didn't try to escape. While everyone else was watching the spectacle that Tenma was making of himself and then watching out the window I took my stuff and went to go find Ran (My friend). She had ran away from the room when Tenma was attempting to make-out with me..." Ashlynn ran her fingers through the strands of her ponytail. "Ran's my only friend in school. The rest of them shun her because she's a lesbian and she's too open about liking anime and manga. I couldn't find her on campus and she's not answering any of my calls and texts. So I came home and here we are~."

"The 'man with the silver hair' as you call him is an old friend of mine named Algar. I contacted him last night to care of your stalker."

Ashlynn blinked. "Thank you."

"Of course. You thought that we'd leave the situation as it was? It was best to nip this in the bud before it got worse. Now the Vongola's image will not be tarnished and your life will be relatively safer because we will not stand for such behavior to one of our own."

" 'Relatively'?" Ashlynn grinned.

"We're in the mafia."

"Right. Thank you Reborn for doing this even though it was probably more for the Vongola's image."

"Of course. We take good care of our women." Reborn placed his empty glass on the counter and jumped down from the counter. "I've heard that you're going to a party tonight so I'll leave you to get ready. Merry Christmas Ashlynn."

"Ah. Merry Christmas Reborn." Ashlynn called as the hitman let himself out of her apartment. Ashlynn looked at the clock on the microwave and decided that it was time that she'd take a shower and get ready for the night

After showering and blow drying her hair Ashlynn stood in front of the mirror and wondered if she should try to do something with her hair. Of course she liked the side ponytail that she had going on and it gave what she thought was an anime-like appeal to have the same hairstyle everyday. But tonight was a special occasion: Boss Lady had cornered her during her break and asked if she had any special plans during the holiday. Other than her plans to spend the day with Ran she couldn't think of really anything for her to do other than laze around and miss her family. So Ashlynn had been invited join as Boss lady's guest at the party she was invited to. And now she scrutinized her appearance in front of the mirror and thought to herself. 'what to do, what to do...'

She knew that Dolly and Birdy weren't going to do much other than a special dinner and watching Christmas movies in French tonight and tomorrow. Ashlynn was going to join them in the morning to open gifts and she knew from prior knowledge that there was going to be a Vongola styled New Year's celebration. She shook her head. 'Tonight, focus on tonight.'

The plan was that she would meet at Fukano-san's house where another friend of her Boss was going to meet them and the three of them would go together to the party hosted by a very important friend and client. Boss Lady had taken it upon herself to have a pretty dress and shoes delivered directly to Ashlynn's front door and another garment bag that was a gift and that Ashlynn was not allowed to open it until Christmas day. She ended up giving it to Dolly to hide for safekeeping so she wouldn't give into the temptation, take a peek at what was inside and ruin the surprise. But she was very curious because whatever was in that garment bag it was rather heavy.

Ashlynn glance at the time on her phone, she needed to leave within the next thirty minutes if she wanted to make it to Fukano's house on time. She didn't want for Fukano-san and her friend to be late because of her. She stared at her reflection again; the dress that Fukano-san had sent to her was a white strapless that fell silkily to her knees and it had a black ribbon that was tied into a bow just beneath her breasts. She was also wearing the pair of black heels that came along with the dress and she was happy that she had previously learned how to walk in heels and these pair gave her another inch or so of height. Thank goodness though it wasn't a spike heel otherwise she'd be breaking her ankles trying to walk in them. Dolly was letting her borrow her garnet stud earrings and Ashlynn decided on a single bracelet for the night; a thin sterling silver that Ran had given her for her birthday. She didn't bother with too much makeup other than a bit of mascara and her favorite raspberry flavored lip gloss. One last look in the mirror Ashlynn finally decided on a half up half down ponytail with a dark red bow that looked almost black in the light to match the borrowed earrings. Once satisfied and still in good time she pulled on a black coat swung the strap of a black purse over her shoulder and after locking up she left for her Boss' home.

Ashlynn walked up the little path in the front yard and rang the doorbell and was surprised when the door opened to Bianchi on the other side instead of her Boss. "Bianchi?"

Bianchi obviously amused by her confusion allowed her into the house. She was wearing a long, short-sleeved champagne colored qipao decorated with golden butterflies. Her long pinkish hair was pulled into two low ponytails with one pulled behind her shoulder. Bianchi lead her through the hall to the living room where Fukano-san was sitting in one of the couches with her hair left down and wearing a short deep purple spaghetti strapped cocktail dress with the cloth pulled elegantly to scrunch at the right side. She stood up with a happy smile when she saw Bianchi leading her into the room. Bianchi stepped to the side between the two of them and motioned to both.

"Keiko dear, this Meagher Ashlynn, a member of the Ninth Vongola's heir's Famiglia. Ashlynn, this is Fukano Keiko: she is an assassin and subordinate of the Ninth Boss of the Vongola; Don Timoteo."

"...You're a part of the mafia, Boss Lady? But you - your bakery-? How-?" Ashlynn asked her Boss incredulously.

The woman laughed heartily and patted Ashlynn's cheeks before kissing each side of the poor girl's confused face. "You are so cute my little honeybun! The bakery is my cover story here in Japan and a bit of a hobby of mine. And yes, I am a part of the mafia underground. Surprised you didn't we?"

"Yeah, yeah it's surprising. But-but Bianchi? Why did you introduce us when we already knew each other?" Ashlynn asked.

"Ja, we tell her about me really being part of the mafia and she asks why you introduced us~?" Fukano-san pouted.

"Because there is a rule amongst the many mafiosi that you do not introduce yourself to another mafia member whether they are a part of your family or not. If a relationship is to be made there absolutely must be a third and mutually known mafia member who can vouch that neither of the two is an imposter in disguise."

"Oh. Well I guess that kind of makes sense...but I remember when Yamamoto and your brother went after the Momokyo-kai when they thought that that gang (that was supposed to be fake according to Dino) had kidnapped me and Tsuna; Dino introduced himself to the other Boss when he tried to negotiate with them."

Bianchi shook her head. "That is because the Momokyo-kai is a mafia yakuza gang that is on the very lowest level of our standards. It wouldn't have made any difference if Dino chose to introduce himself or not because the Momokyo-kai would never have become strong enough to be even seen as a threat."

Fukano-san, now Keiko, clapped her hands. "Well, that's enough for rules for now. We need to get on going if we want to be a bit fashionably late. Ashlynn, darling, I'd like if you to call me Keiko from now on. I like your little nickname for me, but for tonight it wouldn't be appropriate for you to call me so, okay?"

Ashlynn nodded, "This is going to be some kind of mafia party, isn't it?"

Keiko smiled widely. "Oh, sugar, you're so smart! Yes, there will be some very important mafia members attending tonight."

Ashlynn and Bianchi followed her out of the house and into a stretch limo that pulled to the curb. A man dressed in a dark suit opened the door for them and shut it when they were all settled inside for the drive out of town. When they arrived they stopped in front of a bouncer in front of a beautiful mansion with Keiko leading their little trio. Once it was clear that they were who they claimed they were and weapons were stored (The man gave Ashlynn a curious stare over the chakram bracelets and had asked her to demonstrate how two pieces of jewelry was going to help her in a scuffle), and another man took their coats, they were allowed into the magnificent building. Ashlynn had to catch herself a few times to keep from openly ogling the place in wonder as they made their way to a ballroom that looked like it came from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast.'

Once they stepped into the ballroom Keiko was immediately swept off of her feet and carried away onto the dance floor. Judging by her joyous squeals it must have been the boyfriend that she had mentioned a few times before. Bianchi linked their arms together and directed them towards one of the tables pushed to the side. An elderly man with grey hair stood up from his seat with his back to them, when some of the guests turned their gazes to her and Bianchi, the man turned around to face them.

Standing in front of them was the Godfather, the current and Ninth Boss of the Vongola: Don Timoteo.

Bianchi un-linked their arms and turned her face an offered her cheek to the older man. He granted her as smile and kissed the offered cheek. Bianchi stepped to the side and motioned for Ashlynn to step closer. "Vongola Nono, may I present to you Ashlynn Meagher, a member of your heir's Famiglia. Ashlynn this is the Godfather and the current Boss of the Vongola family, Don Timoteo."

Timoteo stepped forward and gently grasped both of her hands into his own and placed a lingering chaste kiss on her forehead. "My dear, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"A-ah, um, a pleasure to meet you as well...I-I'd like to thank you for your gift that you sent for my birthday..um, I'm sorry. I'm not sure how I should address you, sir." Ashlynn stumbled over her words to the Don then flushed in embarrassment when the men at the table laughed.

He chuckled and released her hands and patted one of her cheeks. "You are very welcome, Reborn has told me that you have taken quite the shining to them and I am very happy for that. As for how to address me, you may call me Seanathair."

Ashlynn perked at the Gaelic word. He would actually allow her to call him that?

"You know the old Irish I've heard, so I thought the word for 'Grandfather' would make you feel more comfortable in my company. We have some things discuss, my dear. Shall we dance as we talk?" He offered a hand for her to take. With a quick glance to Bianchi who was also being led to dance, she nodded and placed her own hand in the Dons and he led her to the far side of the dance floor.

Ashlynn couldn't help but to be more than a little nervous. The most dancing experience she had was dancing on top of her father's shoes when she was a child and when she was twelve for a father-daughter dance, she never really did attend any of the school dances. She told the elderly Don this. He chuckled again as he moved their arms into the right positions. "That's quite alright, just follow my lead and I will use this hand here," He tapped the middle of her back with two fingers. "To guide you in the right direction."

After a few moments of clumsy steps and many apologies for stepping on his feet she followed the Godfather's lead and she was able to fall into motion as her body started to remember some of the steps she had learned so long ago when she had danced with her father. It wasn't up to the tempo of the music playing in the air at first but she was happy she wasn't embarrassing herself or Timoteo in front of all these people gathered.

"The matter I wished to speak to you about is your...'appearance in Japan'."

"Oh?" Ashlynn directed her eyes from glancing at her feet to Timoteo's face. '...How did he know about that...? And I don't remember telling anyone that I know Gaelic except for the time when Bianchi knew the meaning of my name and earlier today when I mentioned my Grandmother.'

He smiled and twirled her around "A very good response. What I mean Miss Ashlynn, is that you did not come here by conventional means. You are not of this world."

"...How did you know?"

"I have been meeting with the head of the Bovino Famiglia, a family that is really not as low standard as everyone believes them to be. I am sure that you are familiar with one of their inventions that is in the hands of one of their children: the ten year bazooka? With that same concept but with many changes they have been experimenting with different dimensions to see if they could find people with strong flames."

"So there are others here besides me? Could I meet with them?"

"No. I'm afraid the first attempts like many first attempts were complete failures. The prototype bazookas would continually explode every time when tested. However they were successful one time and one time only."

"Me. I was their success."

"That's right." Timoteo spun her around again. A few of the other dances on the floor noticed the Godfather and his partner and began to disperse watching the two together and wonder who the girl was. Ashlynn had finally got the steps down and was able to keep her full attention on the old Don dancing with her as they talked and picked the speed to match the music's tempo.

"They believe that the reason that it had worked successfully for you was because you were dying in your world and the bazooka had been shot the very moment you were passing on. Your flames were very strong and they latched onto the effects of the bazooka and it pulled you into this world while destroying another bazooka. Though we are still a bit confused as to why you appeared in Japan when the experiments were held in Italy, half a world away.

Ashlynn was silent a few moments. It was a bit to take in. 'So Dolly was right...I really did die, and the reason I am here was because of my flame? I had been regretting while on that gurney… it was a literal dying will...' She looked up at Timoteo's face. He looked far older than he had been a few moments ago. She spoke up, at the very least she could tell him the truth.

"I think I may know why," Ashlynn paused. Timoteo nodded his head, motioning for her to continue. "I think that I ended up in Japan because Tsuna and his family were there. In my world there is a series that I had watched and read with my siblings. The title was 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn'. It is about Tsuna and how Reborn trains him to succeed you as the Boss of the Vongola family."

"You are not lying to me." It wasn't a question. Ashlynn shook her head, it had taken a lot of restraint to keep from telling anybody else. He hummed in thought. "How many have you told?"

"The doctor that took care of me in Namimori, Kentaro Ozumi-san and the lady who took me in, Dolly Cross. They know that I'm not from this world but I didn't get around to telling them that I had prior knowledge about this one."

The Don smiled. "I know Ozumi, I sent him to Japan about six years ago. He contacted me and informed me of your situation and I was able to tell that it was you and guess that you had died in your previous world. I am glad, I was afraid that you would become bitter once I told you."

"Dolly told me that there was a big chance that I had died and now I have another chance to live ...Seanathair, I know what is to happen-"

"Though I know it must have been difficult I must advise you to keep your counsel, my dear. This is a world of mafia after all and many would not hesitate to start a war to know what the future is to be. So for your safety and my peace of mind please do not share this conversation and what you know with anyone no matter how much I or anyone else asks, begs, or orders."

Ashlynn's face fell but nodded her consent and Timoteo turned her around once more as the music reached its end. He grasped her hands in his again and kissed her brow. As he stepped back Ashlynn smiled and dipped into a curtsey before the Ninth boss. Timoteo offered his arm for her to take and he led her back to the table that he previously sat at. The men stood up in respect as their boss approached with Ashlynn on his arm. A man stepped forward and spoke into the Ninth's ear in a hushed tone. Timoteo gave a small sigh but nodded, he motioned for Ashlynn to return to Bianchi who was walking in their direction. The two linked arms again as they went to the nearby buffet table and helped themselves to the rich food laid out before them before they sat down and watched couples dance on the floor.

"You were a little sloppy when you started but you upheld yourself wonderfully."

"Thank you Bianchi." Ashlynn scanned the crowds of bodies. "What happened to Bo- Keiko?"

"Taken away by her current boyfriend, you see, right over there?" Bianchi pointed towards one of the large double doors leading to one of the balconies. Keiko was sipping from a champagne glass talking to man with dark shaggy hair. Both were laughing with each other. Keiko looked over and saw them and gave an enthusiastic wave. Ashlynn smiled and gave a slight wave back.

"Miss Bianchi, May I have a dance?"

Ashlynn glanced over as Bianchi was led once again onto the floor to dance with a young male with dark brown hair. Ashlynn finished the small meal and sat enjoying the atmosphere of the party. She sat alone for only a few minutes when the chair next of her was pulled back and someone sat beside her. She looked over and saw the Varia member Lussuria in a fashionable black tux and dark sunglasses sit next to her before she looked at the crowd again

…

...Wait a second...

Lussuria?

Ashlynn looked at the man and sure enough it was the Varia sun guardian. He smiled widely and motioned at her. "Neh, Neh you're the cutie that danced with the Ninth~ Why are sitting here all by your lonesome? You'd think that you'd be fending off the boys with a stick~!"

"Ah, well, no one else asked for me to dance with them-"

"Then I, the Varia's virtuous Mama, Lussuria, shall dance with you all night long~"

The Varia member grasped her arm and dragged her back to the dance floor with a perpetual smile that Ashlynn couldn't help but feel giddy with laughter herself and ignored the fact that they had skipped over the rule of having to have a third mutually known person to introduce them. Lussuria was true to his word and Ashlynn nearly spent the entire night dancing with him. Keiko had for a moment interrupted the two and formally introduced them to each other and she and Lussuria vehemently agreed that Ashlynn was the cutest in the entire ballroom and began making little nicknames for her. Keiko was very fond of calling her sweet things and Lussuria liked how 'little star' sounded in Italian but they both did agree that apparently 'honey' suited her because of her hair color. As the two debated over what else they could call her Ashlynn's attention was caught by two people standing not too far off by one of the doorways to the balcony. It was Algar, the silver haired man that had appeared at school and next to him was the baby figure she recognized as Lal Mirch. Ashlynn smiled when she caught the man's eyes and gave a small wave to him before she was carried away by Lussuria and Keiko for dessert and even more dancing.

It wasn't until past two that Ashlynn was starting to get tired. After all of that dancing and many pictures taken with both hers and Lussuria's cell phone, she was really beat. Keiko and Bianchi took quick notice of this and they said their farewells to the other guests before leading a very sleepy Ashlynn out of the room. Lussuria hugged her tightly before they left and Timoteo had met them at the front of the mansion to see them off. He granted all of them a kiss on the forehead and wished them a safe ride home. They dropped off Ashlynn first and made sure the girl made it inside safely before re-locking her door and leaving the apartment complex. Ashlynn kicked off the heels off of her feet and gingerly pulled the dress off her body before she took out a t-shirt and gym shorts to sleep in. She fell asleep only a few moments after she laid down.

* * *

><p>"Onee-chan! Onee-chan! Christmas! It's Christmas! Santa Claus~! Get up! Get up! Onee-chan~!"<p>

Birdy was jumping on her bed yelling about presents and for her to hurry and get out of bed. Ashlynn peeked from under her covers and looked at the time on her alarm clock. She groaned in displeasure. It was seven in the freaking morning. She didn't have to run or go to work today so that should mean that she should get to sleep in. It took another few minutes of Birdy jumping on her bed for her to realize that yes, it was Christmas and she nearly shot out of bed in excitement completely surprising Birdy who was still bouncing on the bed. Ashlynn caught the girl and sat the girl on top of her shoulders and spun them around a few times making Birdy squeal in delight.

She slipped on some shoes before stepping outside, ignoring the chilly air she carefully made her way down the stairs to Dolly and Birdy's place. Dolly met them and settled into the living room next to their own piles of gifts with their names written on the packages. Once Dolly gave the go ahead Birdy immediately tore into the gifts surrounding her. Ashlynn followed but at a more sedate pace than the other girl. She started with unzipping the large garment bag from Boss Lady.

'A kimono. She got me a kimono...It's beautiful.' Ashlynn looked at the clothes in awe. The main kimono was long sleeved and a beautiful sky blue, with large pale white roses and small dark pink roses scattered across the cloth. There were three long pieces of cloth she assumed was for the obi. One was a pale green that would be put on first then a slightly thinner white obi with silver roses that would be tied over it with a thin sky blue rope to tie on top of that. There was another large piece of cloth that was the same white and silver rose pattern that was supposed to be the bow in the back. After gingerly placing the kimono over her knees, Ashlynn dug around in the garment bag and pulled out a simple white robe that would be worn underneath the kimono, a pair of white tabi socks and a pair of the same sky blue zori shoes.

Dolly looked over and whistled very impressed and ran a finger softly against the cloth. "That must have cost a large fortune. Kimono like this are very expensive. And it's made completely out of silk too. Way to set a standard, this completely beats my gift for you."

"Oh? What did you get me?" Ashlynn carefully put the kimono away into the garment bag. Dolly pointed to the medium sized box on the floor next to Ashlynn's feet. She sat back as Ashlynn ripped apart the wrapping paper to find a regular cardboard box with no logo. She shrugged and used the pocket knife Dolly handed to her to cut across the tape sealing the box shut. Inside was a kit to properly take care of bladed weapons. She smiled and thanked Dolly for her gift. She had been worried if she was properly taking care of her chakrams or not. Funnily enough, it was just about the same kind of gift that she sent to Hibari, she had no idea what to get the prefect so she decided it wouldn't hurt to send him a kit to take care of his tonfas along with two wires that had blades attached to the ends.

After ripping all the wrapping paper into pieces and spending time throwing them at each other they all picked up the trash and settled down with hot chocolate and watched 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. Ashlynn and Birdy sang out the songs and recited their favorite lines from the film with Dolly rolling her eyes at their antics. It was a couple hours later that it was a while that Ashlynn had to get to work. They were selling a special limited Christmas cake today and would be open a few hours to sell it and a little while after that for any other purchases. Ashlynn was sure that she would see Haru at the bakery today.

Right as she was leaving she got a text message from the Boss Lady to bring to the kimono with her to work. Keiko wanted to see her wear it and wanted to show her off at the bakery. She sighed but did grab the garment bag on her way out of the apartment. She wanted to put it on right away but Dolly had warned that there was a certain way for everything to be tied and knotted and it was very very difficult to properly put on a kimono by oneself. The only time that Dolly wore traditional Japanese clothing was during the summer festival season and she and Birdy would wear yukata.

There was a woman talking to Keiko when she arrived at the back of the bakery, she wouldn't have been able to enter from the front without the people in line making a big fuss that she was 'cutting in line.' Boss Lady smiled and crushed her into a hug when she came into the office, mindful of the garment bag. She motioned towards the woman and told her that she was a professional dresser for people who wanted to put on kimono. The woman pulled out their respective kimono, whereas Ashlynn's was blue Keiko's kimono was a light pink with a cream colored obi and bow with a red corded rope to tie over the sash, and had the two of the strip to their underwear. They put on the white under robe made of cotton with a cotton strip to tie it closed and pulled on the tabi socks and zori shoes before they put on the main silk piece and had the silk obi, bow and cord tied specially around their waists. Ashlynn's hair was left to alone without any ponytails while Keiko had hers pulled into a messy bun. Both had a small dark pink rose clipped to their hair.

Keiko squealed in delight when they stood next to each other in front of a full length mirror. "Honey, darling, look at us! So cute! We should take some pictures when we're all done today. And I'll have Izuna-san come back on New Year's to help us into these again. I'll go check the front and see if we're ready to open up, I'll call for you when everything is in place and people start cramming in, okay?"

Ashlynn nodded and stared at her reflection, Keiko left the door open when she stepped into the hallway passed the door the baking area and through the door to the front of the bakery. She smiled, though she wouldn't be wearing it for too long the kimono was gorgeous. She perked when only a few minutes later Boss Lady called from down the hallway. She closed the office door behind her and walked slowly down the hallway, she could hear people asking for the limited Christmas cake. She opened the door the same time someone pulled harshly on it from the other side. Ashlynn came face to face with an irate Hibari.

Boss Lady cooed from behind the prefect. "Ooooh! Mistletoe! You both have to kiss! Kiss!"

Ashlynn looked up and sure enough they were standing under the mistletoe hanging in the middle of the doorway. She looked over to him and blushed; she hadn't meant for this to happen. Not at all. Keiko's chanting for a kiss caught the attention of the customers in the bakery and they looked on with horror as Keiko stepped forward, Ashlynn saw a glimpse of Haru staring at them with a cake box in her hands.

"Come on now, Kyouya-kun! You're both single and of the opposite sex. You have to kiss! Otherwise I won't allow the bakery to sell shortbread anymore and you'll have to find someplace else where they'll sell it to you without too much fear or crowding~~."

Hibari moved with his front facing the crowd as he glared at the older woman and brandished a tonfa in her direction. The crowd silently gasped among themselves, no one made a move in fear that that the disciplinary leader would bring his wrath onto them, some of them didn't even dare to breathe and were holding their breath in hope that it made them invisible. There was a large crowd in the bakery for those cakes and for some reason they had yet to be bitten to death. And they begged that they wouldn't be. It was an intense staring contest between Hibari and Fukano. Ashlynn shook her head, it was a tradition and she really would rather not have Hibari come over to her house whenever he wanted shortbread because Keiko decided not to keep it in stock anymore.

Ashlynn slowly placed her left hand on Hibari's right shoulder and used her right hand on his cheek to turn his face towards her, she leaned forward and brushed her lips softly against his for a few seconds before pulling away and stood on the tips of her toes and hopped to grab the mistletoe hung by tape then promptly threw the plant into the garbage then turned to go into the baking area. Hibari followed her after he slammed a tonfa against the wall where Keiko's head had been before she scurried out of the way in her pink kimono, Hibari attacked again and smashed against one of the display cases, crashing the glass into pieces and scattering the shards on six pumpkin pies.

It was deathly silent in the building. No one at the moment dared to breathe in case Hibari decided to come back out and bite them all to death for their crowding.

Keiko sighed and made a swooning gesture ignoring the destroyed display case and ruined pies. "That was the sweetest thing ever! Was he blushing? I couldn't tell..."

She was given many incredulous looks of horror for her comment. They came oh so very close to death.

Ashlynn found that Hibari had gone to her home first because of the special cake sale today and everyone was crowding. She wasn't there so he went to find where she was. Though it wasn't very comforting knowing that the boy had broken into her home but at least he had the decency to lock up when he left her apartment. She laid out a sheet of shortbread and juice in front of him and she had to take special care not to dirty the bottom of her new kimono on the floor. The employees in the room almost literally walked on eggshells in fear of the prefect. Ashlynn decided to keep his attention on her and asked if he like her gift for him.

"It has use Omnivore."

She decided to leave it at that.

* * *

><p>On the day of the New Year Ashlynn was once again dressed into her new kimono before making her way, invitation in one hand and Birdy's hand in the other, to Tsuna's house and smiled when she saw the group gathered in front of the Sawada home where everyone was greeting each other and wishing a Happy New Year.<p>

"Happy New Year's guys." She called with Birdy repeating her sentiments.

"Ciaossu, Ashlynn."

"Ashlynn-chan your kimono is very beautiful. And this is?" Kyoko complimented then motioned to Birdy.

"This is my Landlady's daughter. Her name is Suzume but she'd much rather to be called Birdy. Birdy this is Ryohei's little sister, Kyoko."

"Happy New Year." Birdy shyly greeted.

"Happy New Year to you too Birdy-chan. You look very cute in your kimono."

"Let's have an Extreme New Year Senpai! You too little Bird!"

"Hahi! Haru remembers now! Haru saw Subordinate-san kiss a boy at the bakery on Christmas day when Haru was buying the special limited cake from Fukano's Bakery! How dare you! Leading Tsuna-san on like you are! You're being a very bad role model to all of the children here!" Haru pointed angrily at her and puffed her cheeks in annoyance when Ashlynn ignored her and greeted Bianchi who turned around the street corner with Keiko, both were in kimono.

"Oh? To kiss underneath mistletoe is very romantic and the plant is very useful in my cooking." Bianchi commented lightly.

Keiko clapped her hands happily. "I was there when it happened! Kyouya-kun and Ashlynn opened the door at the same time and they stopped underneath the mistletoe. Though Kyouya-kun reacted rather violently, Honey reached over and kissed him! It was so sweet!"

Tsuna stared at the woman with Bianchi then alarmed at Ashlynn. "Kyouya...? Hiiiie! She means Hibari-san!"

"I think it was Kyoya-kun's first kiss too." Keiko linked her arms with Bianchi's.

"Ashlynn." Reborn called for their attention. "You don't seem too bothered about it, wasn't it your first kiss as well?"

Ashlynn shook her head. "I'm not and it wasn't my first kiss. I had mine at thirteen and it wasn't all that special really, granted it was during a game of spin the bottle at a birthday party. Besides, Keiko threatened to have the bakery stop selling shortbread; if she followed through with it then no doubt Hibari-san would expect me to make it for him all the time (which I do anyway but I'm actually paid to do that)."

"Anyway, today is the New Year' 'Family Versus' battle in Vongola style. I called everyone here for that reason." Reborn announced, dressed in haori and hakama. Leon transformed into a fan. "And your opponent has arrived as well."

"Eh? D-Dino-san!... And his men too!"

Dino smiled. "We came here to play the New Year's 'Family versus' battle Vongola style. It is my first time seeing some of you. Nice to meet you."

"Extremely nice to meet you!"

"Eh...Wait...Just what is this Vongola ceremony thing...?" Tsuna asked.

"Nn. New Year's 'Family versus' battle in Vongola style is a battle between allied families. It shows the family's enthusiasm for the year and is a tradition that begins the year."

"This is just like with the Vongola Birthday party again?"

"No, the New Year's battle is where representatives from each family participate in New Year themed competitions. The marks awarded will announce the winner of the contest. Also the winning family is rewarded a generous prize. In addition the losing family will have to pay a fine of one million yen."

"Hiiiie! That's crazy!"

"It can't be helped, Dame-Tsuna. It's a tradition and traditions must be followed no matter what it demands you to do. You'll do it with a smile and you'll like it."

"Geez Tsuna," Yamamoto smiled. "You always get angry at child games."

Kyoko and Haru had the same expressions on their faces. "One million yen is like a dream. This event feels very New-Year like. It seems like a lot of fun."

"Wait just a minute Reborn-san," Gokudera pointed a thumb over to Ryohei. "Why is a person who is not a part of the Juudaime's family participating in a 'Family versus battle'?"

"Compared to the Cavallone family, the members of the tenth generation Vongola family is much lower in numbers. Due to special circumstances, Tsuna's acquaintances will also be considered family for this event." Reborn explained.

Ryohei pointed his thumb at himself. "Meaning that I will also be a part of Sawada's Mongolia Family today!"

"Turf Top, it's Vongola! Not Mongolia!"

* * *

><p>"Tsuna's room is too small so we'll hold the competition here." Reborn was sitting on a chair placed on a tower between the two families as they face each other next to the canal. "I will be judging this event."<p>

"No grudges. Regardless who wins today okay Tsuna?" Dino grinned.

"H-How did it turn out this way~~?"

"The first round is fortune drawing." Reborn said from his chair.

Tsuna whipped his head in the hitman's direction. "Fortune drawing? How are you going to tally that to a score?"

"That's simple. Very lucky is two points, lucky is one point, normal is worth zero points, then unlucky is negative one point and very unlucky is negative two points. It won't matter who does the drawing." Reborn held out a box.

"Leave this to me! I don't believe in fortune telling. Because I choose my own Extreme destiny! And this is my Extreme...!" Ryohei jabbed his arm into the small box held by Reborn and pulled out a handful of fortunes. "Method!"

"What!" Dino's eyes widened.

Tsuna looked on in awe. "It can't be, he grabbed so many at the same time...is he even allowed to do that?"

Ryohei dropped the notes of fortune in front of Reborn with a smirk. "The aim is to get the most Extreme points. With this, we will take the lead within one shot!"

"Very unlucky, very unlucky, very unlucky, unlucky, very unlucky, very unlucky, very unlucky, unlucky, unlucky, very unlucky. The Vongola family ends their turn with negative seventeen points." Reborn announced their current score. Tsuna and Ryohei's face fell into despair. One of Dino's men stepped forward and pulled a single fortune note out of the box.

"I'm lucky."

"This is the end of the first round. The score is one to negative seventeen in the Cavallone Family's favor. The points will be tallied on this board." The current score was written down on the blackboard.

Ryohei slumped to the ground. "Kyoko...bring out the sweet sake..."

"Geez, Onii-chan..."

"The next round will be feather ball. The winner will receive twenty points for one win for their family." Reborn pointed to the court.

Tsuna cheered as Yamamoto stepped forward. "Invincible sportsman Yamamoto, we're counting on you!"

Both players were given a paddle. Yamamoto turned it around. "This is like bad mitten, right?"

Dino gave the paddle over to one of his men. "From our side, we'll go with Michael, a former pro tennis player."

The man smiled. "I will be playing seriously."

"Why is a former tennis pro in the mafia!" Tsuna cried.

Yamamoto tossed the small ball into the air and hit it with the paddle sending it over to the former tennis player. The man smirks. "Suddenly, a chance ball! Smash!"

"Heh, so what?" Yamamoto eyes gleamed when he held the paddle like a baseball bat and swung hard at the toss from the other man. The ball smacked against the bat and flew out into the sky. Kyoko, Haru and Ryohei cheered at the hit. It was Yamamoto's baseball form shown in front of him. Yamamoto scratched behind his neck.

"Out." Reborn called.

"Sorry guys."

"This concludes round two. The score is 21 to negative seventeen, still in the Cavallone family's favor. At this rate you will have to pay one million yen to the Cavallone, Tsuna."

Even after that the point gap between the two families only got wider. Lambo placed the puzzle pieces on his face instead of correctly completing the puzzle. Haru gave up within only minutes of a card game where you read one half of a poem and had to find the card that finished it because her legs got sore from sitting so long. I-pin was lifted up into the air when she tried to fly the kite during her turn. Gokudera could not follow the instruction on a backgammon like game played with dice and many players, he landed on a square that said to compliment a certain member of his family. The square he had landed on had a picture with Ryohei's likeness printed on the board.

Ashlynn was given a towel to cover over her kimono and a tie to pull back her sleeves and her hair. She and her opponent had a bowl in front of them filled with whipped cream and a single maraschino cherry, they had to find the cherry and eat it without using their hands which was a lot more difficult than it appeared. Her opponent found the cherry before her and many laughed at their faces covered with whipped cream. Ashlynn laughed and picked the cherry out and ate it and used the towel to wipe of the whipped cream.

Haru and Kyoko were paired together to play the Aura game against another pair from Dino's side. The partners stood face to face, arms extended with their palms touching each other and blindfolded, they were spun around and then they had to find their partner and place their palms back together. Again Dino's team won quickly, Kyoko opened her eyes when she found someone wearing a kimono and found that she was holding onto Ashlynn's hand and Haru had grabbed onto Bianchi. In the end the only person to gain a point for the Vongola side was Birdy and that was because her opponent thought she was so cute and gave the point up for her.

"Hiiiie! What am I going to do! At this rate I'll be a million yen in debt! It's going to be a hell of debt for the rest of my life!" Tsuna grabbed his hair.

Dino stepped forward. "Come to think of it, it does seem kind of unfair doesn't it? It's adults versus kids after all. I'll give them a handicap."

"Fnn." Leon fanned with the transformed Leon. "You have a point there. Let's just say that the points earned from earlier do not count. It's becoming too troublesome, so whoever wins this next round will be the winner and the loser will have to dish out one billion yen to the winning family."

"What! Reborn! Don't be absurd!"

"It's no use, Tsuna. Once Reborn has an idea and wants to do it there is no stopping him. We're going to have to let it go." Dino sighed.

"For the final round of the competition, every family member will participate in the making of a rice cake. Whoever gives me the most delicious red bean rice cake will be the winner." Reborn announced to the participants." There were cooking stations for both sides.

Gokudera placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "Juudaime! Let's turn the tables and take the lead in this final round!"

"B-but~~"

"Um, hey Boss? Do you know what this hammer thing is supposed to be used for?" Tsuna looked over and saw Dino's men with arms crossed and looking at the strange Japanese tools that they were supposed to use. Dino leaned on the largest piece with his hand propping up his head.

"God knows. I have eaten rice cake before, but...making it is an entirely different matter... I don't even know the first place to start."

'Right' Tsuna thought. 'They grew up and lived in Italy so even if they can compete and beat us at fortune drawing and feather ball, if they don't know how to make rice cake then they can't make it.' Tsuna looked behind him and saw his friends correctly using the instruments.

"Us too, Haru-chan, Ashlynn-chan, Birdy-chan. " Kyoko said as Ashlynn helped the girl tie the sleeves of her kimono out of the way.

"We'll try our best to make the red bean paste!" Haru declared.

'E-everyone...At this rate we have a chance at winning this round!' Tsuna grinned

* * *

><p>"Times up, put your cooking utensils down and stop working. I will compare the taste now, bring your rice cake forward. We'll start with the Cavallone team's red bean rice cake."<p>

Dino sighed but opened the little box that held his teams rice cake and gave it to Reborn. "We tried to make it...But with our knowledge this is the best we could do..."

Reborn plopped the rice cake into his mouth and chewed. "It looks bad, tastes horrible, it's soggy and falling apart...Next up is the Vongola team rice cake."

Tsuna stepped forward and opened the box for his team's rice cake and gasped when a purple fume hit him in the face. "Hiiiiiie! Poison cooking! Bianchi!"

The rice cakes had turned a dark purple shade and was covered with dead and some living bugs crawling about the cakes. Bianchi strode forward as Keiko giggled. "I joined in the making of the cakes halfway through."

Yamamoto and Ashlynn were sitting over a fallen and foaming Gokudera after the boy looked directly at his older sister. Yamamoto gently shook the boys' shoulder. "Hey, Gokudera, are you okay?"

'I thought she went with that other woman to use the kotatsu at home! When did she get here?' Tsuna gasped in horror. "D-does that mean we're going to lose!"

"Bianchi grabbed the box with the rice cakes out of Tsuna's hands. "How could that happen? Cooking is all about the love that you put into it. If there is the right amount of love in your cooking then the poison will be completely neutralized. Here, Reborn, I will feed it to you."

"What! Really?" Tsuna exclaimed.

Dino's eyes widened in shock and a healthy amount of fear. "R-Reborn! You're not really going to eat that are you!"'

Reborn didn't answer and stared straight ahead of him when he and Leon suddenly had three bubbles blowing from their noses, Ashlynn smiled, she wouldn't want to eat it either especially if it had bugs crawling over the food. Tsuna gasped. 'He's sleeping now as if he hasn't slept in days!'

Bianchi smiled at Reborn's cute display and sighed dreamily. "Well, that can't be helped, you two may try it then." Bianchi offered the box of rice cakes to the two Bosses and chased after them when they ran away from her.

"No! That's okay, I'm not hungry. I really don't want it! Bianchi please stop chasing us!"

"Hiiiiie! Go away!"

Because the Boss of both families had ran away in fear from where the competition was being held, the winner could not be decided upon.


	11. Chapter 11

**"Part of what makes us human is what we mean to other people, and what people mean to us."**

**-John Scalzi**

**"I find it hard to find the Valentine's Day card that captures how I truly feel. I have never seen a "this holiday is complete bullshit, I feel the same way today as I do about you everyday" card."**

**-goldentee**

* * *

><p>It was another week after school was let in for the final term, Ashlynn waved goodbye to the guys as they walked onto their school campus and she walked further down the road to her own school gates. She had received a text message from Ran last night. It didn't say anything and it didn't have any of the smiley face emoticons it was normal for Ran to spam throughout her messages. Just a blank message.<p>

Ashlynn anxiously walked a little faster towards the high school. She sighed, Ran once again wasn't waiting in front of the gates like she used to. Ashlynn stood on campus and waited as she scanned the pairs and large groups of students for her friend and waved and nodded to a few upperclassmen and ignored the others that pointed in her direction and whispered amongst themselves as they passed her to the doors of the school building. She gave up waiting when there was only five minutes for her to get to class, after a quick scan to make sure she entered the building and went to homeroom.

Ever since the fiasco the day before winter break, no one had seen hide or hair of one Tenma Hiroto. But they did see his family visiting the school asking for him. Ashlynn had been confronted by the boy's mother asking if she knew where her son was. Ashlynn was truthful with her and honestly said that she had no clue but asked why the woman was asking her on Tenma's whereabouts.

Tenma Kimiko wrung her hands in a handkerchief. "Hiroto has been talking non-stop about you whenever he calls or comes over to visit, dear, so my husband and I thought to ask the young lady who had taken our boys attention."

"I'm sorry ma'am. But I have never been in any relationship with your son."

"You mean to tell me that you have never...?"

"No."

"But why not?"

"Excuse me?"

"My boy was downright smitten with you. We had assumed that the two of you were already dating by the way that he was talking and we hoped that he would have brought you to meet us soon. I raised Hiroto to be the perfect gentleman, so it's a wonder why-"

"Because he belittled the only real friend I have here at school. Because he was stalking me with a camera. Because he was harassing me to go out with him. I wanted nothing to do with him and he wouldn't take the hint. I reported him to the school but they chose not to do anything. I have a restraining order making sure that he stays away from the complex where I live. If you want to figure where your son is then I am not the right person to be asking information from. The only times that I have actually seen him was in class because I went out of my way to avoid him after school. You'd have better luck asking the people he actually hung out with, not me."

"I don't believe you."

Ashlynn shrugged and turned to leave. "That's fine. I didn't ask for you to believe me. Good day Tenma-san."

"It's because of you that my son is missing, isn't it! Where is he! Where have you hidden my son! Bring me back my son!"

"Tenma-san, I haven't the foggiest idea where your son could be nor at this point do I particularly care. He didn't exactly endear himself to me during the time that I've been here. Goodbye, Tenma-san, I need to get back to class."

Even with her side of the story some people didn't believe it and made their own suggestions to what had happened. The most ridiculous was the story about Ashlynn secretly being a princess and because of some trivial matter she had sentenced Tenma Hiroto to lifetime prison or execution.

Ashlynn ignored them but couldn't help but glance at the clock above the whiteboard every few seconds and looking hopefully towards the sliding door of the classroom and she kept tapping her foot against one of the legs of her desk causing the girl sitting in front of her to look back at her with an irritated stare every so often. Ashlynn tried to tone down the tapping and began to chew on the edge of her pencil. She just couldn't get herself to concentrate and quickly she found herself very lucky that this semester was actually review for her.

It wasn't until the end of the class before lunch period and the teacher had already left to meet another member of the faculty for lunch in the teacher's lounge, she finally got another message from Ran. She sighed when she saw it: another blank message. She moved to put her phone away when the screen lit up and the phone vibrated again.

"...?" Ashlynn pressed okay to see the message then smiled in relief before stuffing her things into her bag and quickly left the building and practically sprinted towards the sports fields.

"right now. behind the gym shed- Ran"

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

Ran looked up from her phone leaning against the wall behind the gym shed. "...Hey."

Ashlynn dropped her bag next to the wall. "Ran, I'm sorry-"

"No, no. I'm the one that's sorry. Ashlynn, he was the one that pulled you up and you, you looked so shocked and... and I just ran away because of what I thought was going on. You were never secretly dating him were you?

Ashlynn shook her head and sat down next to Ran on the ground and grabbed her bag and laid it on her lap. Ran gave a timid grin and scratched the back of her neck. "I don't suppose that you can ever forgive me for being such an idiot?

"Of course." Ashlynn grabbed a hold of Ran's hand and held it in hers. "You're my best friend, Ran. This couldn't possibly change that."

"Thank you." Ran looked at her feet embarrassed when her stomach growled loudly. Ashlynn giggled and opened up her school bag and took out a bento boxed lunch that she had made. "Did you forget your lunch again?" Ashlynn asked.

"Yeah, and I kinda skipped breakfast this morning too. I was too nervous and couldn't really bring myself to eat anything."

"Come here." Ashlynn offered and the two ate together out of the box and Ran made fun that Ashlynn still made American things in the Japanese box.

They went back to class together and sat once again next to each other in the remaining classes and Ashlynn caught Ran up on what she missed in the last few days of school and made plans to do homework (and play many video games) at Ran's home. Over the next few weeks there had been an improvement in the student's attitude towards Ran and it proved that the source of the animosity had been Tenma all along. She had thanked Reborn but when she asked what happened to the guy, Reborn just merely looked away with his fedora covering his eyes and smirked. Well, she wasn't too bothered by the lack of response because she was much more happy by the fact that Tenma was now out of town and wouldn't come back in the foreseeable future. Did she mention how happy she was? She brought over a three layered chocolate cake with fresh strawberries on top to Tsuna's house to celebrate.

* * *

><p>February.<p>

It started snowing. In February.

She was so used for the snow to start falling around the end of November and then Spring would start around mid or late February to March. Once again Ashlynn found herself confused at the weather even though she kept telling herself that it shouldn't a surprise since she was halfway across the world where the weather would be the way that she was used to.

With thoughts of scorching deserts and constantly erupting volcanoes, Ashlynn zipped up her jacket and secured her scarf loosely around her neck then picked up all four boxes of cookies she had made before heading out of her apartment to Dolly's to drop off one box before going to Tsuna's house.

Ashlynn turned the final corner and smiled when she saw the group of men gathered in the street in front of the house she was visiting. She waved when they greeted her and she decided to give them one of the boxes of cookies she made to be handed out amongst themselves.

"Grazie, Signora."

Ashlynn grinned and entered the property, opened the front door and placed the cookies on the island counter in the kitchen. Maman was fluttering around the kitchen happily as she watched I-pin and Lambo play in the yard through the window. Bianchi pointed upwards. "They are upstairs right now."

"Thanks."

Ashlynn went up the steps and moved to the side as Dino's men began to file out of Tsuna's bedroom. Romario looked over with a smile. "Buon pomeriggio, Signora."

"Hmm?" Dino stepped out into the hallway. "Hey Ashlynn."

"Hi. There's cookies in the kitchen if you want any before Bianchi turns them poisonous. I already gave a box to the men waiting outside if you don't want to risk it."

"Really? We'll grab a few then, thank you." Dino grinned and kissed her cheek before he and the men left downstairs. Ashlynn opened the door to Tsuna's room and let herself in. There was a little boy sitting at the low table with a large book laid out in front of him. Reborn nodded to her and she sat down next to Tsuna next to the bed. He hadn't noticed her yet so she placed an arm on his shoulder to ask what was wrong.

"Hiiiiie!" He jumped and fell backwards to the floor.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Ashlynn apologized.

"Dame-Tsuna, it's hard to come across an opportunity such as this, so why don't you and Ashlynn get some rankings done?"

The boy smiled. "That's fine with me! I want to see if Tsuna-nii can prove me wrong again!"

"Ashlynn, this is the ranking prince Fuuta, Fuuta this is Ashlynn one of Tsuna's mafia family members. Fuuta you should also try ranking her as well since she's new to the mafia so you'll get some new numbers in some of your rankings. Go ahead." Reborn motioned to the other.

"Hahi!" The door opened again and Haru peeked in. "Haru overheard the conversation when she came to the door! Is rankings some kind of new fortune telling? It sounds like fun! Can Haru have her fortune told as well?"

Tsuna sighed. " 'Overheard the conversation'? You mean you were eavesdropping! And why do you always come over here unannounced and uninvited?"

"She does it too!" Haru argued pettily pointing at Ashlynn.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "That's cause I'm part of his family and his mother gave me and the boys permission to let ourselves in."

"Hahi! You have also brainwashed my Mother-in-law, Subordinate-san!"

"My name is Ashlynn, not 'Subordinate-san'. Please remember it."

"Haru." Tsuna started and Haru looked to him with hearts in her eyes. "...Um...er...Haru, why are you here?"

"I came over because I want to get to know Tsuna-san better. And it was snowing early this morning but the weather channel said that there was going to be rain so Haru took the initiative to bring in Tsuna's laundry like a good wife. I bet that you didn't think of doing that, Subordinate-san and shame on you for it. Leaving out Tsuna-san's laundry to become wet from rain after they were cleaned. But Haru took care of it for you Tsuna-san!" Haru smiled.

"O-oh thanks..." Tsuna thanked her rather uncomfortable. 'You really don't need to do that. And you're not my wife...'

Haru directed her attention to Fuuta who was watching the exchange. "Oh, yeah! Please tell Haru's fortune too!"

"You're Tsuna-nii's friend so...I guess it's okay to rank you as well."

"Hahi!" Haru reeled back in surprise. " 'Tsuna-nii'? You're not Tsuna-san's secret illegitimate little brother are you?"

"I'm Fuuta."

"Stop jumping to conclusions!" Tsuna cried.

Ashlynn got up and sat next to Reborn on the bed. "You don't need a ranking to know that Haru practically slams headfirst to the wrong conclusions. And you don't listen when I tell you to address me by my name. It's really annoying not to mention very rude. At this rate 'Subordinate-san' is going to stick and I'll never get rid of it. Oi, Tsuna, she'll listen to you. Make her stop will you?"

"Tsuna-nii isn't my actual brother but he lets me call him that and he does act like a nice older brother." Fuuta explained. Haru wiped the imaginary sweat off her forehead in relief and seemed not to hear Ashlynn once again tell her to call her by her name. Did the girl have selective hearing?

Haru sat down at the low table across from Fuuta. "Oh~~? Yes, Tsuna-san is very caring so Haru isn't surprised now that you call him your brother. Um~ Haru wants to know... What are Haru's best charm points? Haru is very gullible, so if I ask very specifically then Haru will be positively sure that the fortune-telling isn't all-knowing!"

"What are you going on about?" Tsuna asked and slumped into the computer desk chair.

Fuuta smiled. "Okay, so Haru-san wants to know her charm point rankings. Here I go."

Fuuta looked up and his eyes glazed over with stars in them as he began mouthing words. Objects were lifted and hovered in the air, the table, papers, Reborn's hat, Reborn himself, and books amongst other things. Haru clapped very impressed. "These are amazing theatrics!"

"This is Fuuta. Yes, I can hear you ranking planet."

"Hiiiie! W-what! Fuuta, what are you saying! And you're making things float agai- Hiiiiie! Ashlynn is floating now!" Tsuna cried.

Reborn swam in the air. "Didn't I tell you? He's contacting the ranking planet to create a connection so he can rank."

Haru pressed her hands to her face. "How romantic~~."

"Allow me to welcome you to the Twilight Zone." Ashlynn was holding her knees to her chest and was attempting to keep a straight face. She failed and began to giggle to herself as she moved in the air and did a back flip with a large grin.

Tsuna though he was still on his feet, grabbed a hold of the bed which was the only thing besides the desk and the TV. stand that wasn't hovering to keep himself firmly on the floor. "You seriously expect me to believe something occult like that! This is crazy!"

"Why not?" Ashlynn asked stopping from doing more flips in the air. "We are obviously floating and I'm pretty sure that a space station crew didn't just decide to trick out your bedroom and allow you to be able to hover...though that would be pretty cool..."

"Haru-san's~ number one charm point out of eight..." They all looked towards Fuuta who began speaking out loud for them to hear. He had his book in front of him ready to write down the rankings. "...It's your hair whorl."

"Hahi! How did you know!" Haru grabbed the base of her ponytail. "...No, Tsuna-san must have told..."

"How would I have known that?" Tsuna yelled.

"Eh? Tsuna-san didn't tell him? Hahi! Fuuta-kun is amazing! What a gifted fortune teller! Okay then, now that I have no doubts about your ability, please tell Haru the top three things that Haru likes the best about Tsuna-san!" Haru cried happily.

"Right...the top three things on the list of what "Haru-nee likes about Tsuna-nii are...his assertiveness...his strength... and number one is his gentleness."

"Did you hear that!" Haru patted on Tsuna's shoulder to grab his attention. "Did you hear what he just said! And it's all true too!"

"Pfft. You know that's just a list of what Haru thinks..." Ashlynn did another slow flip in the air. This was really fun! Reborn landed on top of her head as she did another flip.

"Rank Ashlynn now, Fuuta." Reborn told the boy.

"Got it... Ashlynn-nee's running and sprinting is way better than Tsuna-nii's; she is ranked two hundred and thirty-five out of eighty-six thousand two hundred and two, she ranks twelfth out of fifty-two thousand two hundred sixty-two people for potential to become a promising assassin, and she ranks one hundred and forty-seven out of one hundred thousand nine hundred eighty-four people for being open-minded in the mafia."

"Hmm, that's not all bad." Ashlynn mused. She turned her head when the door opened, Lambo and I-pin rushed in and were lifted up into the air.

"我們在飛!"

"I-pin's pinzu-timed super explosion ranks thirty-eighth out of eight hundred and sixteen most powerful attacks. That's not all; when it comes to mid-range fighting techniques, the Gyoza-ken ranks one hundred sixteenth out of five hundred and twenty effective attacks. At her age, these stats are amazing! With things as they are now, I-pin beats Ashlynn-nee's rank with potential to be a promising assassin, she ranks third out of fifty-two thousand two hundred and sixty-two.

Tsuna looked up to the small Chinese child. 'That's amazing! But ten years from now she renounces her hitman ways and is just a part-timer at a noodle restaurant and going to college to be a teacher...'

"What about Lambo-san! Tell Lambo-san's fortune too!" Lambo squealed while pointing at himself.

"Lambo ranks number one as the most annoying out of all mafia members by far. You are also ranked number one when it comes to people wanting to kill you and use you as a seat cushion."

Tsuna covered his smile with his hand when he saw Lambo's shocked expression. 'I thought so...But what kind of ranking was that second one?'

"Juudaime~!"

Tsuna peeked around his open door and saw Gokudera and Yamamoto climbing up the stairs. "Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto!"

"Juudaime! Why didn't you say that the ranking kid was here!"

Yamamoto smiled. "I bumped into him a while ago. It seemed interesting so I tagged along."

The three boys came into the bedroom, Ashlynn waved to Yamamoto when he looked up and found her floating with Reborn, Lambo and I-pin. Gokudera stood in front of Fuuta with a serious expression on his face and made his request. "I have been meaning to ask you something for a while now. There's only one thing that I want to know! What are the rankings of people most suitable to be the Juudaime's right hand man, what rank am I? Can it be done?"

"G-Gokudera-kun~" Tsuna murmured.

"That's easy, the ranking for who would be most suitable for Tsuna-nii's right hand man, right? Let's see, Hayato-nii's place is...Out of range."

"W-what!" Gokudera gawked at the boy.

"There is such a thing for ranking?" Tsuna asked.

"I didn't say that it was out of range for the ranking." Fuuta commented making Gokudera look up hopefully, but the hope was quickly shot down. "It's atmospherically out of range. The person who ranks as the most suitable right hand man for Tsuna-nii is a person named Suzume Cross."

"Hunh? Birdy? Oh yeah, remember she won the contest to make Lambo laugh and the prize was that the winner got to be Tsuna's right hand man." Ashlynn explained as she glanced to the window. As she thought, it was had began to rain just like it did in the series.

Fuuta quickly tried to console the unmoving boy. "B-but there are other jobs suitable for you other than being Tsuna-nii's right hand man, Hayato-nii! You rank number one out of eighty-two thousand two hundred and three people who would be suitable as a kindergarten teacher!"

"Hahi! A-a kindergarten teacher!"

Fuuta continued. "After all, Hayato-nii ranks second out of the eighty-two thousand two hundred and three people who likes children! So you are the best possible person to do the job!"

"I...I liked kids...When...How...?" Gokudera brought a hand to his face in bewilderment. Yamamoto laughed merrily.

"I commend your ranking skills, little prince." Bianchi suddenly appeared from hiding behind Ashlynn in a mission impossible pose in mid-air. She, Ashlynn and the kids were the only ones floating in the air from Fuuta's rankings. She continued. "But the most important thing of all is love."

Tsuna pointed at Bianchi in shock. "Hiiie! Bianchi! When did you get in here! And you're making a spectacle, making this look like a horror film at any angle! And Gokudera-kun has been petrified from all the different shocks!"

Bianchi ignored him. "Take this opportunity and make a love ranking. It's time to clarify who loves who."

"Fnn, sounds like fun, we'll keep it with the people in this room. Go ahead and rank them Fuuta." Reborn instructed the boy.

"Okay, the we will start with Tsuna-nii's love ranking..."

Tsuna whipped his head towards Fuuta. "A-are you serious! Wait a minute, Fuuta! Don't! Uwaaah!"

Fuuta carried on as Tsuna was lifted into the air. Haru looked on anxiously with a dark blush on her cheeks, Yamamoto laughed and Ashlynn already knew what was going to happen. "Tsuna-nii's love ranking, the number one person is...LEON!"

"Haha! Is that true, Tsuna?" Yamamoto snickered.

Tsuna pinched his cheeks hard. 'It can't be...Did I unconsciously like Leon? he does transform into a gun and fires a bullet at me when Reborn shoots me and he sometimes helps when I am in the Dying Will mode...I don't understand...'

"No! It can't be!" Haru cried and flung herself to the window sill and leaned her cheek against the glass. "Haru lost to such an opponent. Haru's heart is just like the sky; A dark rain storm."

Fuuta froze. "Rain?"

Everything and everyone who had been floating fell out of the air as Fuuta broke off his connection to the ranking planet, the inanimate objects fell with with a clattered and somehow the television was set right on the TV. stand. Reborn jumped to perch on Tsuna's head after his student stood up from nearly crashing onto the desk,with his fedora on his head. Bianchi, I-pin and Lambo landed on the bed with a bounce. Ashlynn had been floating by Yamamoto and the baseball player caught her with his arms around her shoulders and underneath her knees when she fell out of the air. She thanked him as he set her down on her feet.

"Haha, no problem!"

Fuuta curled into a fetal position on the floor with a groan. Tsuna put his hand on his forehead. "Are you okay, Fuuta? What's wrong?"

"I feel heavy. I really hate the rain. I'm weak to it and it makes my rankings crazy and inaccurate."

"What did you say! So that means that the rankings don't work while it rains?" Tsuna asked. 'That means that ranking about Leon...!'

Gokudera perked at the news. "...So my ranking...? I'm not really atmospherically out of range to be the Juudaime's right hand man?"

"When did it start raining?" Haru wondered.

"I presume the ranking becomes askew when it rains because it causes an interference between Fuuta and the ranking planet." Reborn offered his explanation.

Tsuna snapped at the hitman. "Again with the ranking planet!"

Even so, Tsuna was a little bit curious about the existence of the ranking planet that Fuuta had a connection to.

* * *

><p>And with February there came Valentine's day.<p>

Growing up in the States, Ashlynn found Valentine's day to be one of the days of the year where one would receive candy even though she and her mother also bought a bag of sweets to pass out with cards every year. Although not as cool as Halloween or Easter she didn't complain cause she really ha no reason to. Candy was candy. And there was the little fact that she had been collecting the Valentine's cards she received every year into a shoebox since the first grade. So with the thought in mind that everyone in class would be getting a generic Valentine card and chocolate even though they weren't friends. Ashlynn decided to save herself the stress and worry by creating her molds and buying cards a week before the actual date. The things for her class was in a red bag waiting in her freezer as she worked on the more personal chocolates for her friends: Ran, Dolly and Birdy, anyone that she personally knew from the Vongola, Dino, plus a few extras.

Ashlynn and Keiko decided to send out their gifts early to the people that were out of the country: Keiko hadn't told her who she was sending so many chocolates to but Ashlynn had sent one to Don Timoteo (A piece of chocolate painstakingly carved into the Vongola crest), Dino (a horse, and as many batches of cookies she was possibly able to pack and hope that there was enough since she had lost count), and Lussuria (a chocolate carved sun). Thankfully she had a mind to make a list of the people she wanted to specially make chocolates for and check off each person as their gift was finished and stored in its own container.

"A tree for Ran, a bird for Birdy, a heart for Dolly, Maman, both present and future I-pin and Lambo, Boxer shaped for Tsuna, fedora for Reborn, a scorpion for Bianchi. Checkety, check, check and check. Dynamite for Gokudera, Baseball for Yamamoto, A chocolate tonfa for Hibari...hehe. Wonder what he'll think of that~."

When it finally got to the day of Valentine's Ashlynn yawned and ignored the many females hyped up over the holiday. She left Dolly's and Birdy's gifts on the counter in her kitchen before she went back to her own apartment and lug down her duffel bag filled with lunch box ice packs and the many gift boxes with chocolate inside.

The reaction to her gifts from her schoolmates were majorly with surprised expressions. They weren't friends but after so many years of Valentine's for her entire class she went along with it. Ran mentioned that it was weird but thanked her for the better chocolate and teasingly said that if she didn't know better that her special chocolate could be seen as a love confession.

"But I know that were friends so it's okay. Here's your gift by the way." Ran presented a small assortment of homemade chocolates and a yellow rose. She scratched the back of her neck. "It's not a cool as yours but Auntie tested some of the earlier ones I made and said that they were pretty good."

Ashlynn hummed and popped a piece into her mouth as she arranged the flower into her ponytail. "She's right, it is good. Good job Ran."

"Yay~!"

"Will you be doing anything special tonight?"

"Yep! I've got a hot date! And she's adorable~! Ne, what about you? Got a special someone that you're gonna meet later on? Come on, tell me tell me!"

"Nope, nothing really special. My Valentine's day is usually spent tracking down people to give them their gifts." Ashlynn snickered. "I remember one year I was searching for Aniki to give him chocolates and ended up interrupting a date with his pretty girlfriend."

"Ha! What happened?"

"Hmmm, I think that year he took her out for lunch. I saw him sitting alone in a window booth and I went in a sat across from him and gave him his gift. Turns out his girlfriend had gone to the bathroom then came out seeing another girl sitting in her place with her boyfriend (He hadn't brought her to meet the family just yet). Man, it was so awkward trying to explain that I wasn't dating my own brother. We ended up being kicked out because she was making such a big fuss and I wasn't really helping things go smoothly."

"Wow, sucks for him."

"Flaithri said it was okay but his girlfriend never really forgave me for it even though it wasn't my fault. He was my brother and I had been trying to find him all day and didn't want to wait until he came home to give him my gift." Ashlynn tapped her cheek. "I think he broke up with her because she kept complaining about it to everyone...at least I think that was the reason."

Both looked up as the bell rang releasing students from school. Ran giddily gave her a hug before skipping out of the room. Ashlynn shook her head and left at a more sedate pace with her mostly full duffel bag and went in the direction of the middle school. She was a little disappointed that Hibari wasn't in the reception room so decided that since there were still others she had to find she tore a piece of paper from one of her notebooks, wrote his name at the top, wished him a Happy Valentine's day and signed her name at the bottom before leaving to track down the rest of the boys.

She bumped into Ryohei and Gokudera arguing outside of the boxing club's room with a group of girls following after the latter like a bunch of ducklings clutching little boxes that they'd give to the Italian transfer once given the opportunity. It would have been pretty cute had they not given her psycho looks complete with their faces hidden by shadow and an eerie light from the eyes. Especially when both Ryohei and Gokudera accepted the chocolates from her and ignored the fact that the group was trying to give them their own chocolates and confessions. It was a wise decision to immediately walk away before someone had the bright idea to make a fuss over the fact that the boy they obsessed over accepted chocolate from her, an outsider from another school, instead of them the boy's schoolmates.

Because there wasn't baseball practice on Valentines Day, mostly to keep the players from being distracted, Ashlynn had to find Yamamoto to his father's sushi restaurant. She waved to Tsuyoshi and asked him where his son was only to smile when he came in from the kitchen and brought his father a platter of fish. Yamamoto grinned widely when she handed over the box from her duffel bag and he laughed merrily when he saw the baseball shaped chocolate inside and thanked her. She wished a good Valentine's Day and left the building saying she had a few more people to see and waved goodbye to both Yamamoto's.

Ashlynn made a small detour on her way to Tsuna's house and made a quick stop at the apartment complex a few blocks away from her own, she asked the personnel at the office to find out which floor and room number before going up the elevator to one of the upper floors. When the door opened the woman was shocked that she specifically asked for her son and allowed her inside the apartment while she went to go fetch him from his room. Ashlynn waited next to the front door and snickered quietly as she heard the woman talk to her son.

"Sho-chan! Sho-chan! There is a pretty high school girl asking for you! Specifically, by name!"

"W-what?"

"Don't make the girl wait Sho-chan! Go! Go and be a man! I'm going to call your father and sister to tell them the news!" The woman pushed her son out of his room and towards the front of the home where Ashlynn was waiting then she hid in the kitchen down the hall and kept peeking around the corner every so often with a phone pressed to her ear.

Ashlynn smiled at the boy. "I don't know if you remember me, but we met when you brought a child named Lambo back to the Sawada house some time ago. My name is Ashlynn."

Shoichi nodded completely dumbfounded. Ashlynn grinned at the expression and gave one of the gift boxes to the boy in front of her. "This is for you, Shoichi, happy Valentine's day."

"...oh...thank you...?" Shoichi blushed and thanked her still a little bewildered. Ashlynn nodded and let herself out of the apartment. Even with the front door closed behind her as she walked down the hallway to the elevator she hear Shoichi's mother squeal happily.

Ashlynn had a light spring to her step as she walked towards Tsuna's house but paused when she saw Tsuna himself in Dying Will mode clad only in his boxers as he carried a bleeding future Lambo with Bianchi hot on their heels. Ashlynn held on tightly to the duffel bag and quickly caught up to the two and managed to slide to catch Lambo when Tsuna dropped him after he was almost hit by Bianchi's poison cooking.

Ashlynn smiled when the boy cowered and pressed his face into her stomach. She gently ran her fingers through his hair to calm the boy down. When he looked up at her she unzipped her bag and handed him to boxes.

"Happy Valentine's Day Lambo. One is for you and the other is for I-pin when you go back to your present time."

"Thank you Aneue, I never say no to your Valentine's chocolates." The Bovino boy smiled before he disappeared in a poof of smoke and was replaced by the five year old Lambo. Ashlynn grinned and gave the younger Lambo his own box of chocolates and he quickly ate most of them before storing some in his afro. Ashlynn held the boy in her arms as she walked the rest of the way to Tsuna's house and met Tsuna in front of the house and gave him his own box. She giggled lightly at the thankful gaze when she handed the box over but he sighed when he saw the shape and made Ashlynn laugh a little harder. They went inside and found Fuuta sitting on the bottom of the steps happily changing a few of Tsuna's rankings and smiled when Ashlynn presented his gift and handing one to Maman when she passed by with a hamper before she stepped into the kitchen to give Bianchi and Kyoko who were making chocolate and crackers with Haru. When Haru stared at her expectantly she sighed but decided to give her one of the smaller extras that she brought with her. When Haru took the obviously smaller box she glared at her as if she had been jilted.

Ashlynn raised an amused brow. "What? Did you honestly think that I would give you a special chocolate? I really have no reason to do so, Miura-san. Other than you being friends with Bianchi, Reborn, Kyoko and Tsuna, I really don't know you very well to consider you one of my friends. Be happy that I brought extras along with me."

"Hahi? What on Earth is Subordinate-san talking about? Is this because you're jealous Subordinate-san? You're not warming up to me because I'm becoming closer and closer to breaking the spell that you cast?"

Kyoko's smile waned a bit. "What do you mean, Haru-chan? Ashlynn-chan? Is something wrong?"

Ashlynn shook her head. She didn't want anything involved solely between her and Haru mess up the friendship that the two girls had. "Nothing to worry about Kyoko. Just a matter between me and Miura-san that I hope to have resolved soon."

"Hahi!" Haru gasped. "Why is Subordinate-san being so informal with Kyoko-chan!"

"Because I consider Kyoko as a friend. I'm not from Japan and hardly ever used honorifics." Ashlynn then sat down on the other end of the table where it was cleared of clutter. She bundled the empty duffel bag and stuffed it into her school one seeing as she finally passed out all the chocolates that she had with her.

When Haru and Kyoko left the kitchen to find the boys Bianchi gave her a questioning glance. "She is fighting you for the love of another. Love from who you do not wish for in that way."

Ashlynn nodded. "That girl is going to jump to the wrong conclusion with the wrong person one day. I don't know whether when the times comes I'll watch and say 'I told you so' or to try to attempt glean her off the habit now. I'd rather then second option but she's being too hostile to take any advice from me seriously. Heh, she'd probably ignore me or see as an underhanded tactic to separate her from Tsuna and then things from there would blow out of proportion."

"Love makes people do crazy things."

"Too true."

"Reborn plans on giving the boys a training exercise tomorrow morning. I have requested that I steal you away for some one on one instruction. I expect you here at dawn." When Ashlynn nodded Bianchi smiled. "Perhaps it is because you do not have a person you can truly love that your studies in my craft are not successful. For it is love that allows one to consume it without any negative side effects. Is there anyone of your peers that you have taken a liking to? I could make a match for you if you wish."

"Perhaps. Thanks for the offer Bianchi but I think I'll be fine with getting a match for myself. I don't think it'd be fair to knowingly set up meetings to get someone to fall in love me. That's like giving someone a love potion."

Bianchi smiled but before she could say anything Kyoko and Haru came back into the kitchen with the boys in tow, sat them down at the table and presented the chocolate fondue that they had made. Haru practically ran to the table with a pot in tow and placed it directly in front of Tsuna who had taken a seat next to Ashlynn. The girl grinned when Tsuna's eyes widened. "Thank you for waiting! The Valentine's chocolate is officially finished!"

"Wow, it looks like chocolate soup!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"It's a fondue, you dip the crackers into the chocolate!" Kyoko smiled placing down the pot of chocolate she had made.

"It was a great effort so please eat your fill. I made the crackers to dip in the chocolate." Bianchi presented the purple crackers on a tray and laid it out on the table to Tsuna and Fuuta's horror. Reborn promptly took the cue and fell asleep at the table. Bianchi waited patiently as she along with Kyoko and Haru stared at the boys. It was eerily silent and no one moved. Ashlynn sighed, she didn't want the girl's feelings to be hurt but then again she didn't want to be poisoned. But Ashlynn wondered, even though she didn't love-love Bianchi and she was sure that Bianchi didn't have such strong feelings for her in that way but there were other kinds of love. So long love was reciprocated...then if Bianchi wasn't fooling anyone with saying love countered the effects then she should be fine. She loved Bianchi as she loved her siblings and she trusted Bianchi that she wouldn't actively try to kill her so...

Ashlynn grabbed a small paper plate then gingerly picked up a single purple cracker to the girls delight and the males horror; even Reborn peeked an eye open, broke it in half before dipping it into each bucket of chocolate and took a bite out of each one. She hoped that she wouldn't regret this later.

Bianchi, Kyoko and Haru watched with bated breath as they waited for Ashlynn's opinion while the boys waited for the tell tale signs that would be the start of Ashlynn's death from poisoning. Ashlynn swallowed both pieces of the dipped cracker and could feel it drop in her stomach and she could also feel her brow already beginning to sweat. She gave a smile for the waiting girls.

"You two did a very good job making the chocolate, and you as well, Bianchi, for making...the crackers. Thank...you..very much... "

Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto panicked when Ashlynn fell out of her seat in a faint. The girls squealed and hugged each other happily at their success and thanked Bianchi for teaching them how to make the chocolate.

It was a memorable Valentine's Day.

Though Ashlynn would have to make up for the training that she'd miss the next morning because of a bad fever keeping her secured and not allowed out of bed.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, halfway across the globe in different parts of Italy...<p>

"Kyaaaaa!" Lussuria squealed in delight at the breakfast table as he opened one of the cute little gift boxes in front of him. The other people present at the table either glared at the man or ignored him. Lussuria in turn ignored them in favor of the cute heart shaped chocolate with a sun etched on the surface with a large grin and squealed again. "This makes me so happy! Il mio dolce miele thought of me and sent me a chocolate for Valentine's day! So very happy!"

"VOOOI! What the hell are you gushing about!"

"Squ-chan wouldn't understand because a pretty girl hasn't sent him any Valentine's chocolates before, at least not that we know of anyway~. Are you jealous Squ-chan? Maybe if your good I could introduce you to my honey and you could start getting Valentine's chocolate from her too."

"Fuck you, Lussuria! Shut your trap!"

"…"

"…"

"Kyaaaaaa! I got one from Keiko-chan too!"

"VOOOI! Shut the hell up!"

* * *

><p>"Boss, a package came from Fukano-san in Japan." Romario set down the parcel on his Boss' desk.<p>

Dino smiled as he used a knife to cut along the middle to rip off the tape. Inside were three boxes, one was red and the other two were blue along with a note taped to the red one. He grabbed the note and read it out loud.

"Dino-kun, Happy Valentine's Day, the red box is from me and the blue ones are from Ashlynn, the smaller blue is for you and the cookies in the larger ones are for the men. First come first serve. You better reciprocate on White day next month, with chocolatey love, Keiko."

He opened the red box and found a little display of square shaped chocolates filled with caramel then opened Ashlynn's and was greeted with pleasant surprise by the figure of a horse molded by chocolate. That was pretty impressive. He took out the larger blue box, the chocolate horse, and a small radio transmitter and left the office in the direction of the dining room with Romario following after him. Once all the boxes were opened and placed separated across the table he sat at the head seat then pressed onto the transmitter that allowed him contact with the men on the site of main house of Cavallone.

"Hey guys. A box came today from Ashlynn, one of Tsuna's family members, remember her? Well she sent you guys some cookies for Valentine's day but not enough to go around, so it's first come first serve. They're on the table in the dining room. Take one, please."

Dino clicked off the button to speak in and sat down in the chair at the farthest end of the table and took a picture of the chocolate horse before he started breaking off pieces and plopping them into his mouth, Romario sat down next him and took a bite out of a cookie.

"It's good and still soft."

They looked up as a large group Dino's men burst through the open doorway in the direction of the cookies on the table and watched as pandemonium ensued in the dining room.

* * *

><p>"Cinnamon!" Keiko burst through the door of the baking area scaring the other employees working. One of the girls dropped a plate and it shattered to the floor. Keiko gave her a sheepish smile and helped clean the mess up before she skipped happily over to Ashlynn's work station. It was a few days after she fainted on Valentine's Day and she was lucky that she only got a fever from the poisonous crackers Bianchi made.<p>

"Nutmeg, I just got a message from Nono and he said that he loved the chocolates that we sent to him! And he said that his guardians were very jealous! He was impressed that you put the Vongola crest onto the heart, he almost didn't want to eat it! Then he did because he took a picture and he framed it! Here he too a picture of it! Look!"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn reached her arms high into the air and stretched until she could feel her lower back pop a bit and sighed in relief. She had been picked up by Gokudera that morning and they met Yamamoto, Ryohei and Dino at Namimori Middle, all were dressed warmly for the cold. There was no school today because it had snowed heavily the day before and some of the roads had been blocked off and she didn't have work to do for the following two days.<p>

Gokudera happily greeted his Boss when Tsuna and Reborn came into sight from around the corner of the school gates. "Juudaime! Juudaime! Over here! Good morning Juudaime!"

"What? What is everyone doing here?"

Dino laughed. "We were waiting for you, Tsuna."

"They were the ones to call us out today." Reborn informed the boy.

Dino continued the line of thought. "We thought that because Tsuna is the one that always looks after the kids, that we should play with them every once in a while and give you a hand with them."

"You should have just Extremely asked Sawada!" Ryohei punched the air. Yamamoto and Ashlynn nodded in agreement.

'Everyone...Everyone is going out of their way for me...Everyone is so nice...wow.' Tsuna was warmed greatly by the thought.

"If we're going to play outside it should definitely be a snowball fight." Gokudera exclaimed scooping snow in his gloved hands and compacted it into a ball and tossed it up and down in the air. His actions were quickly repeated by Ashlynn and the other boys. Tsuna quickly paled at the suggestion.

Yamamoto snickered. "Sounds like a lot of fun! We'll have to divide into two teams. Should we decide like we normally do? Rock paper scissors, best two out of three?"

"I have taken the liberty in choosing your sides." Reborn informed the group dressed as an ancient samurai warrior shogun in bright red armor. He opened up a battered ancient scroll. "I put a lot of thought in making sure that the teams would be balanced out and I ended up staying up all night. See? Look at the bags under my eyes. They are really dark. I shouldn't even be up right now. It's bad for my health and my soft baby complexion."

"What is with this plan of yours that is making me feel really guilty!" Tsuna screamed.

"This is what the team layout is going to be: the east side troop with be led by Tsuna followed by Yamamoto, Fuuta, and I-pin. You will wear white scarves. On the west side the troop will be led by Dino followed by Gokudera, Ryohei, and Lambo. You will wear red scarves." Reborn handed out the scarves to the team leaders.

"Wait just a mintue, Reborn-san!" Gokudera interrupted him. "Why am I on a different team than the Juudaime's? I request a switch!"

The armored helmet covered over the tops of the hitman's eyes. "That still remains a mystery. You'll have to play nice with your team until it has been revealed. Until then it shall be a test of your patience."

"It hasn't been solved yet!" Gokudera cried.

Reborn motioned for Ashlynn to come forward and he held Leon out for her to take and a strip of blue cloth for both of them. Ashlynn put the flag through the loop of her jean pants but didn't tie a knot (That's cheating) and Leon had it lightly wrapped around his tail. "This is a battle for the strip of cloth that Leon and Ashlynn will have in their possession. Both teams will have a total of thirty minutes to fight and the team that gets both pieces will win."

"Sounds interesting." Yamamoto grinned.

"Win to the extreme no matter what!" Ryohei yelled with eyes blazing hotly.

"It doesn't matter how many times you are hit with a snowball, but you will be counted out if you lose consciousness. Now, both teams go dig a trench and build your snowballs. We will start in thirty minutes time." Reborn walked away with Leon and Ashlynn following after him as the teams began their snow building and two pillars made of snow in the middle with equal distance between the two snow forts where Leon and Ashlynn would be atop of.

The thirty minutes was quickly used up and Reborn sat to the side still dressed as a samurai with a conch shell in his little hands. He brought the shell to his lips and blew a loud note, resounding around the area. "Begin!"

Ashlynn glanced in both directions. It was quiet and no one seemed to want to be the first to go out from behind their defenses. That was fine, Ashlynn crouched low on top of the rather high pillar of snow with an already made snowball in her hand. She had asked before the teams finished if it was okay for her to aim snowballs at the boys herself. The hitman's response? Do whatever it takes to not be taken. She was going to take full advantage of her terrain, namely the small cluster of trees off to the side of the wall of the school where she had snuck over without the boys' notice and created a few piles of snowballs to throw and a few trenches and barriers made from snow, some of the were close enough to a few trees that she could jump off a barrier and land on a tree branch. She was glad that she had decided on a mainly white jacket to wear.

"No way! If we do not go after the ultimate goal, we will not be able to have our Extreme victory! To the EXTREME!" Ryohei sprung out of the trench and charged for the pillars with no snowballs on hand and Dino calling after him.

On the other side after hearing Ryohei's battle cry, Yamamoto stood from his place, tensed as he fell into a baseball form and threw a snowball directly at Ryohei. The boxer punched forward with his fist completely destroying the compact ball of snow. Ryohei smirked triumphant. "As slow ball like that is like a marshmallow against my fist, it is no match for my Extreme strength!"

"Alright then!" Yamamoto took snowball after snowball and started pitching them fast at the boxer. After a few moments of Tsuna persuading Fuuta that now was not the time to do rankings they began supporting the baseball player and threw their own snowballs in Ryohei's general direction. The boy yelled out another Extreme as he began punching them all away as he slowly inched his way towards Leon and Ashlynn still on top of the snow pillars. Ashlynn was still crouched and tensed her legs and got ready to leap off.

'...And~...Now!' Ashlynn launched herself off from her perch on top of her snow pillar over Leon's and rolled on the ground as she threw two snowballs at Ryohei on one side and I-pin on the other. A quick glance showed that she had picked the perfect time to jump for it, the pillar that she had been perched on was falling to pieces to the ground from I-pin's gyoza-ken attack. While Leon stayed atop of his own snowy pillar, Ashlynn quickly leaped away while pulling the hood of her jacket over her head and ran for one of the closest barriers while throwing a few snowballs in both directions. She didn't have to do much since the vapor from the dumplings that I-pin had, it was going downwind right back to Tsuna, Yamamoto and Fuuta. Still she laid flat on her tummy and crawled to another barrier trench. If she didn't want to be caught then she needed to keep moving around.

Ryohei punched away another snowball and called out to the young Chinese child. "Your artillery is too light! The flags will be mine to take!" The boxer ran forward before he was knocked off of his feet to the side from an explosion behind him. "Woah!"

"It's me Juudaime! My spy work is finished so I will return back to your side now!"

Tsuna's jaw dropped as Gokudera took off his red scarf and pulled on a white one signifying his change in teams. 'G-Gokudera-kun, totally switched sides right now...Is...Is that even allowed?'

"Then us as well! Protect the Boss!" Three of Dino's men, Romario, Ivan and Bono jumped from their hiding places inside one of the trench barriers that was on the west side. "Even if it is only just a game, we won't let the Boss lose!"

Buna nodded in agreement as he rubbed his arms to get more feeling in them. "It was so cold!"

"H-how long were you guys hiding in there! How did you get here without any of us knowing!" Dino asked incredulously.

Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head and conveniently turned away as Gokudera jumped over the trench to stand beside him, pushing Yamamoto out of the way. Tsuna looked towards Reborn who didn't react to the new situation. "It's become really chaotic and the judge is totally okay with it!"

"Yup, it is just as I had predicted too." Reborn smirked.

"It is now the Vongola against the Cavallone." Gokudera lit up a cigarette in his mouth and the dynamites that he pulled from his jacket. "This will make this much easier! Die!"

Tsuna shrieked. "It went from a snow fight to a fight on the snow! It's a snow fight! At least use the snow around you so you don't hurt anyone!"

"I won't allow you to do that Smokin' Bomb." Dino cracked his whip and safely defused the oncoming explosives. "I'll be taking the flags now."

"Not so fast Bucking Horse Dino."

The boy's heads whipped to the side at the new voice to see Bianchi with her arms crossed in front of her. She smiled thinly and scoffed. "How dare you even think to play without me. Come to me my minions" She snapped her fingers, Lambo and I-pin took off the scarves distinguishing them from different teams and joined the poison scorpion in a martial art pose. "The winner shall be us! Team Poison-Cow Chinese Cuisine!"

"A third force!" Dino stood in front of his men warily.

"What are you doing Bianchi!" Tsuna screamed. "Coming out uninvited out of nowhere!"

Bianchi's eyes narrowed at the Vongola heir. "Do you understand the feelings of those who are not invited!"

"Hiiie! A-are you sulking!"

Dino shook his head. "The reason why the kids are siding with her is probably because she fed them her poison cooking."

"You're wrong actually, Dino," Bianchi smirked darkly. "It was pure threatening that brought them to stand by my side. It is their fear that keeps them with me. And it is fear that will make them fight for me. Victory shall be ours!"

Tsuna shivered and it certainly wasn't from the cold. "How scary...Hey, G-Gokudera-kun, are you okay? Bianchi is right in front us and you haven't fallen down sick..."

"Yeah, I don't really get it myself." Gokudera looked at his hands questioningly. "...This has actually happened once before. It was during the Autumn Equinox and she put on a squirrel outfit... I didn't know that it was her until she hugged me and started talking through the mask. I don't remember anything after she took it off..."

Tsuna's eyes widened in realization. "Ah! Both times she had head-gears. So maybe it's because Bianchi's face is partly hidden!"

"That may be it! Then this means...I did it! I've finally overcome my sister! And it's all thanks to you, Juudaime!" Gokudera patted Tsuna's shoulder as he congratulated the both of them until Ashlynn took advantage and hit them square in the face with a snowball to each boy before she moved again.

Reborn shook his head, everyone was getting too distracted. "Since there are now three teams, we have to change the rules of the tournament. It will still be a fight for Leon" The hitman pointed at the chameleon that was still perched atop of the still standing snow pillars and then a general wave around the entire area. "And Ashlynn who has successfully evaded everyone's notice and attention. You'll win the moment you catch Ashlynn and Leon. And now Leon will start moving around too. It's Leon Turbo! The second and final round of the snow fight begins now!"

"This just got more interesting, Haha!" Yamamoto laughed as the three teams chased after the self-remote controlled Leon car as they realized that they didn't see Ashlynn anywhere.

Which suited said girl just fine as she threw a couple snowballs from the edges of the trees before she ran to another position before they could track her down. She got a clear hit at one of Dino's subordinates as he passed her by and she winced in sympathy as seconds later the man was hit in the face with Bianchi's poison cooking causing him to withdraw from the competition. A scuffle broke out between Bianchi's team that started to throw poisonous snowballs and Dino's team that started throwing snowballs that had real life bullets inside. While the two teams opposed each other Tsuna's team tried to sneak by, it was completely unsuccessful as the battling teams turned their attention to Tsuna's group and opened fired at them. They were quickly saved from destruction when Fuuta cried that he couldn't take anymore and wanted to make rankings, causing a sphere of snow to protect them from the onslaught of dangerous snowballs then Gokudera caused a distraction with dynamite while Yamamoto ran ahead to catch Leon with Dino quickly catching up then running past the baseball player.

Ashlynn crept along the side of the outer school walls towards the gates. She had to bite her lip from laughing too loud when Dino and Yamamoto were rolled over by a giant snowball making them withdraw since they couldn't move from the compact snow but her laughter was quickly cut short when Enzio stood enlarged by the water of the snow. She could feel her eye twitching and she crept a little faster and went to cross to the trees on the other side of the gap between the sidewalk and school gates and nearly made it before her arm was tugged and she was pulled back.

Gokudera was taken out of the game when Bianchi took off the goggles and tried to save him from being trampled by the large snapping turtle falling into sleep because of the cold weather. Enzio caused Bianchi, Fuuta, Romario and I-pin to withdraw due to missing in action under the turtle. The only one left unscathed and able move freely was Tsuna.

Tsuna ran after the transformed Leon across the grounds and made a catch for him but he slipped on a bit of ice on the sidewalk and slid across the ground face first. He groaned in pain and looked at the ground ahead of him to see two pairs of shoes within his vision then looked up to see Hibari holding the Leon car in one hand and was gripping Ashlynn's forearm in the other.

The prefect tilted his head. "What's this? And that giant turtle? A remote controlled car and a mess of herbivores and one Omnivore on school grounds?"

"Hiiiie! Hibari-san! Um...umm...why is Hibari-san at school...on a...a day that school had been let out?"

The prefect smirked. "It snowed so I was thinking of having a snowball fight. Though I just want to arbitrarily hit a bunch of targets. We must have met here because of fate. I guess then you shall be my target."

Ashlynn though technically captured couldn't help her grin. ' "Snow brings out the child in me. By child, I mean the asshole who wants to throw snowballs at all of my friends." '

Tsuna stared at the disciplinary leader in shock. 'Why...? Why hasn't he been arrested yet from anything of this?'

Hibari's grip on Leon tightened. The poor chameleon transformed into a little ball and was sweating, and Ashlynn tried her best not to seem to too nervous since the prefect had yet to release her arm from his grasp. He made a motion to peg the Leon ball at Tsuna who instinctively covered his face with his arms and shrieked in fear. Hibari chuckled and dropped the Leon ball at his feet and he released his hold on Ashlynn before he turned his back on them and made his way off the school grounds with a parting message.

"Or so I thought. But I still have responsibilities as the leader of the prefects of Namimori that need to be done. I will see you again. Make sure that you do not vandalize the school or I will bite you to death. Omnivore I shall see you later."

Tsuna sighed in relief. "I...I'm saved...eh? I unconsciously used something as a shield...? No way! I-pin! No! I-pin is in love with Hibari-san! And there's only three pinzu's left! Hiiiiiiie!"

Ashlynn blinked as she somehow found herself on the roof of the school with Leon nestled in her hair and Reborn in her arms and she closed her eyes as Tsuna realized that I-pin was about to explode in Tsuna's hands with only two pinzu's left on her timer and he ran in a panic and tried to pry the child off of him. He was far too late and the explosion lit up the school grounds.

Technically it was Hibari who won the competition because he had captured both Ashlynn and Leon but since he left, Reborn was declared the ultimate winner of the snow battle tournament. Ashlynn was just glad that Hibari hadn't come back to see what caused the explosion on the school's campus.

* * *

><p><span>Buon pomeriggio<span>- Good afternoon

Signora- Lady or Miss

Il mio dolce miele- My sweet honey

Grazie- Thank you

The line about throwing snowballs at friends is by infamouspj


	12. Chapter 12

**"Teacher evaluations should be more specific. It's not that he was an 'unsuccessful' teacher, it's just that each class assignment killed a piece of my soul. Which bubble is that on the scantron?"**

**-SashaSweety**

**"Why are vacations so exhausting? You go relax at the beach. And then you go relax by the pool. And then you're tired from relaxing so you go back to your room and take a nap. And then your vacation is over."**

**-chasedoutre**

* * *

><p>Ashlynn decided that it was a very good day when she left her apartment to walk with the boys to school. She wished them luck on the first day and smiled knowingly as she walked away to her campus. She heard Tsuna shriek in surprise when he learned that Ryohei would be attending Namimori as a third year instead of attending Namimori high as a first year. The boxer himself believed that he had been a third year the previous year until one of the staff had to tell him otherwise. Strange since Ryohei had been the Valedictorian and had delivered a speech despite really being a second year. Ashlynn kind of wished that Ryohei had graduated from Namimori Middle. She figured it would have been interesting to attend school with the enthusiastic boxer. She supposed she would wait another year for that to happen.<p>

It was April and the start of a brand new school year. Both Ashlynn and Ran were immensely relieved when they looked on the class lists and found they would be in the same class for another year. Though Ashlynn paused momentarily when she read the name of the teacher for their homeroom. She swore that the name was familiar but just couldn't bring herself to remember. She raised an eyebrow when Ran spotted the name she had been staring at and sighed sadly.

"He's the worst teacher in the history of worst teachers ever!" Ran explained in a soft whisper then grabbed Ashlynn's hand and led her out of the crowd in front of the bulletin board. "Hated or not, I would never want anyone to have to endure that man. Nobody knows why he hasn't been fired yet and it's not like he makes an effort to not lose his job. And now we're stuck with him for homeroom for the whole entire year! This sucks!"

Ran continued to sulk during the distance it took to go up the stairs and down the hall to their classroom, 2-C. They entered and found the room dark with an overhead projector lighting a labeled page on the board. It was their assigned seats and according to the note scrawled on the side, there would be absolutely no changes. Ran grumbled and sat heavily in the front row seat closest to the door. Ashlynn quickly dropped her bag at the seat next to the window in the back row then went to sit on Ran's desk and played with the girl's hair while more students glumly filed into the room, found their places and quietly talked amongst themselves.

Ashlynn looked up in barely concealed horror as the sliding door was slammed open and the teacher flicked the lights on and sauntered to the desk in the front of the room. 'No fucking way...this guy is from that Persona game...the fourth in the series that Norene was playing...but isn't this guy supposed to be dead...?'

The man slapped down a stack of papers on the table, used a remote to turn of the overhead, and leaned against the side of the desk as he glared at the students around the room.

"Alright you little piece of shits! You were given enough time to find your seats, so hurry up and sit you asses down already!"

There were grumbles about the class as everyone did as instructed. Ashlynn did so in a bit of a daze. 'Why is this man here? He's from a whole different series!'

"Shut your traps!" The teacher, Morooka snapped at them. "I'm taking roll so you better be in your assigned seats, and I damn well expect you brats to respond in an orderly manner!"

Ashlynn sighed. So much for a good day especially when it had started out so well. She and the boys had a friendly race alongside the canal that morning. Yamamoto had actually beaten her in sprinting. She made second in their little contest with Ryohei following 'To the Extreme', then Gokudera who was trying to make it that Tsuna would beat him across the mark they made to serve as a finish line. Reborn had then 'kindly suggested' that they have a nice 'friendly' spar with one another. Ashlynn was pitted against Yamamoto and his magical katana transforming baseball bat. She found out firsthand that Yamamoto truly had the instincts of a hitman. Of course, she had a bit more experience using her chakrams than he did with his sword, so they were pretty well-matched between each other.

That was all well and all but being evenly matched wasn't going to help her too much if she wanted to become stronger. So that meant that she would have to spar and or fight with someone above her level that wouldn't kill her but also wouldn't go easy on her because she was a girl (she had a feeling that Yamamoto really didn't want to strike her). Her studies with Bianchi were going great but she wanted another person to spar with and she had a certain person in mind for that particular endeavor.

She needed to see Hibari.

With that decision in mind to seek out the prefect (Or just wait till he drops by the bakery) who would most likely be more than happy to beat her up; Ashlynn turned her attention back to Morooka-sensei as he grumpily went over safety procedures like fire drills and lock downs and how the grading system was going to work. Stuff that everyone knew from early conditioning in primary school but had to go over again at the beginning of every single school year to make absolutely sure.

It made her wonder if someone had ever had a mental breakdown from going against said conditioning.

Ashlynn shook her head and looked over the papers that Morooka-sensei had passed out and was reading aloud for the class. Sure enough it was something everyone knew so she started doodling on the side of the margin as she waited for class to end and let her mind wander to the past few months filler events.

* * *

><p>(*Flashback*)<p>

"Welcome. To the House of Sawada."

Ashlynn looked up from finishing the last of her school assignments that were laid out on the low table in front of her in Tsuna's bedroom to stare at Tsuna and a girl that she recognized as one of Kyoko's friends from Namimori middle: Kurokawa Hana.

Reborn looked up from the newspaper that he suddenly had been reading when the two entered the room, wearing a dark green yukata, round glasses and a little mustache above his upper lip.

"My name is Kurokawa Hana. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope that I am not intruding." Hana introduced herself and bowed to the two of them, Reborn nodded his head to her before looking back down at the paper. Ashlynn offered the girl a small smile before gathering all of her papers into her school bag, stood up and playfully ruffled Tsuna's hair before she left for the kitchen downstairs to meet with Bianchi. Tsuna was a little busy staring at Reborn in shock, did that baby have a different costume for every situation? And why was it that only he and Dino could tell that it was Reborn the entire time!

Hana nudged him with her elbow and peeked out the bedroom door at Ashlynn's retreating figure down the hall then went back into the room. "I didn't know you had an older sister, Sawada. She's cool."

"Eh...? Oh, you mean Ashlynn? But, uh, she's not my sist-"

"Now, where is that hunk that you promised to let me see? If I don't get to see him today then I'll be telling Kyoko." Hana cut in sharply.

'I wasn't able to refuse and I don't want Kyoko to get the wrong idea...' Tsuna sighed. "Alright, alright, but even if you see him it will only be for a few minutes."

"Right-o. Just bring him out already~."

Ashlynn grinned, pausing right before the steps of the stairs before she continued downwards. This was another check off of the filler events.

(* End Flashback*)

* * *

><p>'Poor Lambo.' She thought as she turned to the page that needed a guardian signature and wrote her name down on the line.<p>

'The ten year bazooka was malfunctioning so first it was the older Lambo's body that came back in time dressed as the younger Lambo. Then the mind of the older Lambo came back in time dressed as himself but he was back to the height of his younger self. Poor Lambo from the future was stuck in the past for a whole week and would not stop crying.'

Then when the Lambo's finally switched back to their original places, the younger Lambo wandered into the kitchen at Tsuna's house and asked 'what happened to her big boobies?' causing Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera to choke and spit out their respective drinks. Ashlynn's first reaction was to look down at her chest with a thoughtful gaze then cupped and pushed them up before letting go.

"The girls get bigger? All right~!"

Apparently her breasts would still get a little bigger in the future. That was a happy thought. And the boys hadn't been able to look her in the eyes for the next few days. Mostly because she, Bianchi, and Reborn were making jokes at the expense of their embarrassment. Even Maman had joked along with them.

'...Then there was White day...it had been...entertaining... to say the least...' She doodled a heart with wings before she started filling in the blank lines asking for her contact information and who was to call if there was ever an emergency. She wrote down Dolly's name and the hospital as her emergency contacts.

Maybe entertaining wasn't the right word to use. Shocking definitely; and frightening seemed an even better term to use. She had come home from working overtime and noticed that her door was unlocked when it should not have been unlocked. So she had dropped her bag outside and burst through her own home, flicking on lights with a charm in one hand, searching for intruders.

She had been paranoid for nothing.

There was a stack of gifts and two vases of flowers, one light pink the other yellow, left sitting on her island counter. Though she was curious she decided that it wouldn't hurt to thoroughly check the rest of her home in case there really was an intruder that was waiting for the gifts to keep her attention then jump out at her when she was distracted by the pretty wrapping paper and ribbons. Once she felt satisfied with her search she went out and retrieved her bag before locking the door and making sure that her windows were tightly secured. Then she set her sights on the pile of white colored presents.

Some of it was candy and sweet things, namely from Tsuna, Gokudera, Shoichi, Maman, Birdy, and Ran. The other day Bianchi had given her another poison cooking lesson using Irish recipe's for a white day gift but Ashlynn still couldn't get exactly how to get hers to become poisonous.

She found when getting some juice that the contents of her fridge had been moved around so a couple of cases of sushi could fit snugly inside. It was obvious who that was from. She pulled put a case to munch on while she finished opening the other gifts.

There was one very extravagant looking box with off white roses printed on the casing. A note tied to the white lacy ribbon showed that it was from Lussuria and had the Varia sun guardian's phone number and e-mail address written on the other side of the note. His white day gift consisted of a pair of very nice arm guards in white and silver thread and trimming. And when she tried them on they covered her elbows and reached past the back of her hands to the beginning of her fingers and there was a piece (she thought it was elastic) that held the padded cloth to her hands by tying around her middle fingers. She decided that she would use them in her spars. And not only that; it felt like a good idea to always have them on her person or in her bag... The only problem she could think of was: how was she supposed to wash them when they ever get dirty? The box certainly didn't come with any instructions on how to keep them clean. She'll stall from using them for a while until she contacted Lussuria and find out how to wash them.

Don Timoteo and Reborn had combined their gifts: The vase of pink roses and a grey with silver lining pistol that held two more shots than regular pistols held in their capacity. There was also six loaded mags that she could switch out when she ran out of ammo and a case to carry them in. There was a note from Reborn that he would get her in contact with their engineer for more ammo and a P.S. that Dolly had volunteered to teach her how to handle and care for her new weapon. The card on the other vase revealed that it was Dino who sent it (and his men signed the card thanking her for baking them cookies). From the Cavallone Boss she also received a small silver bracelet that she immediately put on to join the many others on her wrists. There was a pair of black women's boxing gloves with a white ribbon with note attached asking her to consider joining the Extreme boxing club at Namimori junior from Ryohei. It was a nice thought but she didn't box though she knew she wouldn't mind learning a few moves.

Although she really didn't expect anything in return from Hibari, he proved her wrong when she found a small plain box sitting on the desk in her bedroom (the boy probably thought the other gifts would crowd his). Inside was a very nice dagger that she decided would be hidden on her thigh when not in use.

All in all she was happy about white day even though that initial experience had been frightening... she was glad that her friends thought of her on white day.

A few days after white day there had been that trip to the zoo where she had been paired with Ryohei to round up the escaped animals that were wandering around the park. Ryohei, ironically enough, had an impromptu spar with a kangaroo once they were done doing their part of leading their group of animals back to their areas. He yelled at the zoo keeper that he wanted the 'Extreme' Kangaroo to join his boxing club and that he wanted the lion to be brought back out so he could fight the 'King of the Jungle' and would not be taking no for an answer. Thankfully he completely forgot about it once Kyoko had stepped forward, looked up at him and asked to walk back with the group back to Tsuna's house to see Maman...

Ashlynn snapped out of her reverie when Morooka slammed his hand on the top of his desk and many of her classmates jumped and yelped at the loud sound. It looked like she wasn't the only one to let her attention wander.

"That's all for today. Normal lectures will begin tomorrow. You have an assignment due at my desk first thing tomorrow morning! An essay on why these rules are important and why we go through with them! No whining!" Morooka ignored protests of an essay on the first day and the dismissed the class, glaring as he snatched up his papers and left the room. After a few seconds to make sure that he was really gone; no one wanted to chance walking besides the man through the halls to get out of the building. They would risk being expelled on the very first day! Once the coast was clear everyone grabbed their things and left the classroom.

Ashlynn waved goodbye to Ran as they reached the bakery and entered as Ran went on ahead home after buying a blueberry muffin. Ashlynn went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of faded gray jeans and a dark blue t-shirt before covering it with an apron. She looked towards the door when she heard a few screams coming from down the hallway.

'Hibari is early today...'

Ashlynn fixed her hair into a tighter bun before she left the bathroom and walked down the hallway towards the baking area. She paused a moment before pushing the door open and was met with the sight of Hibari waiting for her at her work station and the other employees were pressed into their own work stations with bruises and a few were limping about (and a few glares in her direction). Ashlynn shook her head but gathered a tray of shortbread and a cold can of juice and placed it in front of the prefect before she grabbed the recipe orders on her table. The way that the work was split between each employee; they had a quota of their own to finish during their shift. Ashlynn was in charge of shortbread for obvious reasons along with normal two layered cakes, cupcakes and cookies. She would get something different when she was working overtime or when she would lend an extra hand here and there. Amazing that she had extra time to help out more.

Today since they were starting get low on the chocolate cupcakes, that is what she would be making for the majority of her shift. She glanced over a few times to the prefect still sitting on an extra stool she had added for him at her station. He rested his chin on one hand while the other picked up pieces of shortbread in front of him.

And he was staring at her.

Ashlynn tilted her head and gave the boy her full undivided attention and proceeded to stare back. After a few moments of the silent stare down Ashlynn reverted her attention back to work but still watched the boy from the corner of her eye.

"You know..." She started. "...It's been a very long while since we have sparred, Hibari-san."

Ashlynn took out a finished batch of cupcakes and removed them from their holders in the pan and began frosting them. She gave the boy next to her a sidelong glance to see a pleased smirk on his face and a few looks of horror from her co-workers.

"...Some things are happen in the near future...and I want to be ready for them...so...I want to become stronger... starting tomorrow after school okay with you?"

* * *

><p>For the next few weeks Ashlynn had to become very aware of how she spent her time during the day. She used whatever free time during school to learn, review, and finish class assignments. This served to allow more time to commit to other things. Namely if she didn't have to work after school she would go straight to Namimori middle to meet with Hibari to spar in either the courtyard or on top and across the school roofs. During the days that she had to put in time for her shift at work Hibari would come by like he always did but he had now developed a habit of throwing knives in her direction. She had to quickly (And very painfully) learn to catch the projectiles before they hit since she couldn't dodge because of the equipment and the other employees on the room.<p>

Any time not dedicated not dedicated to school and work was spent either hanging out with Ran at her place or with Tsuna and his friends, training with Bianchi, while also wading through Ashlynn's secret mental list of the filler Arcs. After each one Ashlynn could feel that finally the storyline was finally picking up pace and although she was nervous about the upcoming conflicts (Mukuro for starters, then the ring battle against Xanxus and the Varia, promptly followed by the Magnificent Bastard Byakuran and his merry organization). She like any anime fan disliked fillers and wanted to get a move on, but she did see how they were useful: character development and whatnot. It also gave her time to become stronger, and now that she had been fighting with Hibari on a near daily basis she truly felt that she had at least gained a few levels; to put it in video game terms. It hurt of course and she sometimes questioned herself on her sanity. Dr. Ozumi-san wasn't very happy that she came to the hospital more frequently but then she irritably called him out on being one of Vongola Nono's subordinates and then went on that she was part of the new generation. He lightly scolded her for not following the rule to have a third party to introduce the two of them as mafia members but he relented from hounding her health but still warned her to take more caution.

Ashlynn was starting to see results when one evening she was set to spar against Yamamoto again and she soundly thrashed him into the ground. She would forever remember the look on their faces when they asked her how she improved so much and she answered truthfully: She had been fighting with Hibari on a near daily basis. Ashlynn smiled at their expressions and at the praise from Reborn of her new strengths and going out of her way to include Hibari into the family much to Tsuna's horror and dismay. The baby hitman ignored his student when he denied that he was going to be the next Vongola boss.

Reborn pointed out that at least he was able to run away from what was left of his bullies when Gokudera and Yamamoto weren't around, though he remarked that Tsuna should have had enough training to beat them back by now.

Tsuna whined softly. "But now they just push harder when no one's looking and they still call me Dame-Tsuna and other names."

"What! Juudaime! Are there people bothering you! Just leave it to me Juudaime! I'll make sure that no one will speak negatively of your name ever again!"

"G-Gokudera-kun..."

Ashlynn decided to pipe in at that moment and gained the boys attention. "Well it could have been a lot worse, Tsuna. You could have been trash-canned or swirlied."

"W-what? Trash-canned? S-swirlied? Do I want to know what that means?"

"Eh, probably not but I'll tell you anyways. I've been trash-canned before but fortunately I've never been the victim of a swirly." Ashlynn grinned at the blanks look she was receiving and began to explain for the boys. "A swirly is where you hold the victim upside down with their head in a toilet and flush while their head is in it, though I guess that one is more of a college thing. There's also being shoved and being stuck into lockers if they are large enough or being spanked with a paddle with the school's name or a picture of the mascot. My old high school had very small lockers so a few of my friends that were upperclassmen gave me my initiation into high school by picking me up and dumping me into a trashcan. It was all done good naturedly of course though it really stank. But it wasn't as bad as you'd think, the initiations into the marching band were a lot more crazy from what I heard from a few friends that joined."

"Hiiie! I w-wouldn't want any of that to happen to me...Hey, um... Ashlynn? didn't you just start high school last year here in Japan?... Or do they really do that at Nami high?"

Ashlynn shook her head. "No, I should actually be a third year this year. Before I came to Japan I was already at the end of my freshman year (They had four years of high school in the states, Tsuna). Whereas school here starts in April here it starts around August or September in the United States. I ended up retaking freshman year here as a precaution really. It was just in case if the second year would be too far ahead and I would definitely fall behind. I thought it was better to know the material and review than to fall behind. I was proven right, the last semester of this past year was review while the first parts were new material for me."

"Well that's good then! I would have definitely fallen behind!" Yamamoto laughed.

"Hmph, of course you would, you baseball idiot!"

Ashlynn sighed, crisis successfully averted. She was sure that Tsuna hadn't meant to even mention that he was being bullied. Still, during whatever breaks she might get with fighting Hibari she would go try and check on him.

They had a few more hours of mock fighting that evening before Gokudera walked her home in a companionable silence then leaving once they made it to her apartment door.

* * *

><p>Tsuna woke up one Sunday morning at the end of May completely exhausted. But then again he had been waking up tired a lot more frequently than he preferred. He turned on his side and stared sleepily at the wall. Now that he thought about it, this new school year seemed more tiresome than the previous year.<p>

It started with that contest early that first morning in April to see who was the fastest and longest sprinter. Yamamoto barely won nearly tied with Ashlynn, then Gokudera-kun tried to cheer him on and make Tsuna beat him across their finish mark. Then Reborn ordered them to have a 'friendly' spar. Ashlynn and Yamamoto were pitted against each other, then Gokudera and Nii-san, and Reborn had Bianchi come by to spar with him (luckily Gokudera-kun was too busy fighting Nii-san to notice that his sister was in the area) shuddered remembering the horror of Bianchi's poison cooking.

Then at school (after the shock in knowing that Nii-san was really a second year) they found that they were all in separate classes but were given a chance to rewrite the class roster (The principal actually agreed to it!) if they could find and capture Reborn. They won but only because of Kyoko-chan (who didn't know about the contest in the first place) picked up the evil little hitman.

And from then on the early (and when they sometimes met during the evening) training only got more difficult. He would be beaten up all in the name of training and getting stronger. Tsuna was surprised that Ashlynn went along with wholeheartedly than he ever thought she would. Sure he expected it from Nii-san, but then when she had improved almost dramatically she admitted that she was now sparring with Hibari-san and Bianchi on a near daily basis! That was crazy!

'At least I figured out when everyone's birthday is...' Tsuna thought as he dragged himself out of his bed and grabbed some Manga before he went downstairs and made himself cereal for breakfast. He knew from missing it last year that Ashlynn's was on May 11th and they had given Gokudera-kun a small party on September 9th. And now he knew that Nii-san's birthday was on August 26th and Yamamoto's birthday was on April 20th (He wouldn't know until awhile later that it was also Easter and that was why Ashlynn had come to the party with bunny ears, a fluffy tail attached to her skirt, and passing out chocolate eggs from a basket). Tsuna was grateful that none of the party's this year were Vongola styled.

"YES!"

"Hiiiie!"

Nana burst through the front door and slid on the hardwood into the kitchen with her filled canvas grocery bag and her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Tsu-kun! Tsu-kun! I have wonderful news! I won the grand prize in the raffle attached to the tea bottle! I just mailed it in right now!"

"R-really?" Tsuna picked up the empty bowl and placed it and the spoon in the sink. "Wow! What did you win!"

Nana clapped her hands together. "A cruise ship to a tropical island! So lucky!"

"...Eh? A ship? Mom, I get sea-sick easily...maybe you should go with someone else..."

Nana placed the grocery bag on the counter and started to put the contents away. "Now don't say that Tsu-kun! This is a luxury ship cruise! Tsuna, all you've ever been on are small boats. Those are tiny compared to the one we'll get to go on!"

"Hmmm, but it's still a ship, right?"

"That's where you're wrong Tsu-kun! Cruise ships are like very high class hotels floating on the sea! They have nice soft beds and high class food! Like steak! And there are even swimming pools on the deck, and there's a casino and even concert halls!" Nana's eyes sparkled even more as she continued. "And then at the end it will reach a tropical paradise! The tropical sun will soothe all troubles away!"

"Well, I guess if you insist that I should go..."

"I only have tickets for two people...so Maman can't just leave Lambo-chan, I-pin-chan and Fuuta-kun all by themselves..."

"That is something you won't need to worry about." Reborn declared as he and Bianchi entered the kitchen. "Maman, you should enjoy yourselves every once and awhile. You deserve it."

Bianchi crossed her arms. "So I will look after the children for you while you are away Maman."

"Really! You mean that Reborn-kun, Bianchi-chan! Thank you so much!" Nana happily linked her arms with Tsuna. "How long has it been since we went on a vacation, just you and me, Tsu-kun? Haha! This feels like we're going on a date!"

"Eww! Mom! Don't joke around like that! It's gross!" Tsuna tugged his arm away from his mother but he smiled. '...though it would have been great if I could have gone with Kyoko-chan… I guess it's okay. And Mom's right, it has been a long time since we have gone on vacation with each other. This sounds like fun."

* * *

><p>"Wow~! It's so big and luxurious! It's almost like a dream being here! I'm so happy!" Maman sighed happily as they returned to one of the main halls from dropping of their small carry-on bags to their room. They decided that they would go and eat first before they'd go around and explore the rest of the ship as they waited to get to the tropical destination. Tsuna walked next to her as they approached one of the hosts of the dining area. The man looked up with a smile and nod of acknowledgment.<p>

Maman smiled back. "We are Sawada."

"Eh? Sawada-sama...? Hmmm. Ah, didn't you come by earlier and eat already?" The man pointed to one of the tables in the middle of the large room. There was only one clean space on the now dirtied white tablecloth. the rest of the table was littered with messy dishes and food staining large pieces of cloth. Tsuna gasped as he and Maman went over to investigate the mess. He scratched the back of his neck in confusion as he looked at the space in front of him.

"...But we haven't even been in this room before right now...y-you don't think that there's an imposter of us walking around!...Mom?"

Tsuna looked up as Maman walked to the other side of the table and bent and disappeared from view then stood back up with a familiar child in cow printed pajamas. Tsuna gasped. "Lambo!"

The child's stomach was bulging from the food he had consumed and groggily shifted as he cuddled into Maman's arms. "...Lambo-san ate a whole lot... so Lambo-san can't eat anymore...mmm."

Nana tilted her head in confusion. "Lambo-chan? what's going on? How did you get here?"

"I was telling the stupid cow..." Tsuna gasped and turned to see Bianchi walking towards the table with her arms crossed. "That Maman wasn't here and then he started crying...so I threatened him that if he didn't stop crying then Maman would never come back and then that made her start crying too." Bianchi pointed to I-pin who was poking her head from behind Bianchi's legs then scurried over to where Maman was standing with Lambo.

Nana cooed at the children. "Aww, did you get worried then come look for me? How sweet. But if the two of you are here then does that mean that Fuuta-kun and Reborn-chan are also here?"

Bianchi shook her head. "Fuuta did not want to come so he is staying with Dolly-san and Birdy-chan."

"This is a dilemma...if you three are here then does that mean... that _He _is here too...Is Reborn here?...Please tell me that he really isn't." Tsuna paled at the thought of the baby hitman.

"Renaissance~."

"Hiiiiiie! Reborn! And Ashlynn's here too! A-and Reborn! You can't walk around like that! What if someone sees you? Go put your clothes back on!"

Ashlynn was lounging on a long devan chair that Tsuna had first thought was decoration. Her hair was down and was wearing a white palla(1) and a long strip of white cloth that laid like a scarf around her elbows. Reborn was standing at her bare feet holding a small pot filled with fruit, mostly pears and grapes, with a sandy blonde wig and a crown of laurel leaves and he was naked save for the small leaf that covered his private parts.

Tsuna grabbed at the sides of his head in horror. "Why! And when? How did you guys get in here!"

"It was simple enough." Reborn smirked as he offered Ashlynn a pear from the little jar. "We first had to kidnap Ashlynn here then we came here and charged in straight through the main entrance and defeated any of the guards that dared to stand in our way."

"Y-you charged in and beat up security!" Tsuna paled then squealed when he turned around and saw a group of men in uniform talk to the host then walked straight in Tsuna's direction.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." The leader bowed. "But we have reason to believe that there are stowaways hiding on the ship. Have you seen anyone suspicious around here?"

Tsuna quickly shook his head negatively, not trusting his voice at the moment. The man bowed again and motioned for the men to leave and look somewhere else. Tsuna waited until until a few minutes after the group was gone before turning around to scold the group of 'stowaways' only to find them missing.

He glared childishly at the table then picked up the tablecloth and found them hiding beneath the table underneath the tablecloth.

Tsuna regained his lost voice and scowled at them. "They are already sending out search teams to look for you guys!"

"That's not good. If they find out there is a connection between us then Tsuna and Maman will be thrown overboard and chased to one of the local islands." Reborn left the safety of the table

"T-that! Does that mean that out vacation is ruined!" Tsuna cried.

Bianchi helped Ashlynn out from underneath the table then held Reborn in her arms. "Relax. Everything will turn out fine. Besides we want to have a nice tropical vacation too."

Tsuna blanched. "Then you're planning on hiding away until we get to the island?"

"Of course not, what kind of talk is that Tsuna?" Reborn still in nothing but a wig with laurel crown and a leaf preserving modesty, struck a pose with the Leon pistol with Lambo with a pink grenade on his right, I-pin with a gyoza bun on his left, and Bianchi and Ashlynn with a poison cake and chakram respectively. "We're going to permanently take out the guards so they will not bother us in the future. Now let's go! Scatter!"

Tsuna reached a hand out. "No! Wait! C-come back! I think you all have the wrong idea about this! Don't run! You'll only bring more attention to yourselves!"

Maman giggled. "It's a lot more fun now that everyone is here now, ne Tsu-kun?"

"M-mom~! We have to find them!" Tsuna jogged off out of the dining area and into the hallways. He turned sharply around a corner and nearly tripped over a small body. He turned to apologize but it caught in his throat when he saw Lambo holding his stomach with tears in his eyes.

"Lambo-san ate too much then Lambo-san started to run making Lambo-san's tummy hurt. Lambo-san feels like he's gonna puke~"

"Hiiiie! Lambo no!" Tsuna scooped up the child and jogged back to the room he shared with Maman and put Lambo to bed then went out the door. "You rest for awhile, and make sure you don't puke on the bed, Lambo!" Tsuna sighed wearily. "Four more to go."

Tsuna went to another of the main floors, after a quick scan he was about to leave when he heard a scream and saw a cloud of pink smoke. He pushed forward to find the older I-pin asking one of the older women what this place was and what prefecture she was in.

"I-pin!" Tsuna shouted for her attention.

I-pin turned her head and gratefully stepped over to him when she saw him. "Sawada-san, thank goodness! Where is this place? I-I think I'm lost! Please, Sawada-san! If I don't hurry then Kawahira-oji-san's ramen will get all soggy!"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves and pointed to the two. Tsuna quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. "Yeah! I get it! I'll help you get there, so let's go! People are watching~."

Tsuna jogged back to the room with I-pin in tow and let her in and shut the door. The older I-pin began to bang on the door in dismay.

"Ah? Sawada-san! Sawada-san! This is a hotel room! I need to get to Kawahira-oji-san!"

"Just wait in there for a few minutes then, after that you will see familiar streets again! I promise! I'm telling the truth! Three more to find! Ashlynn, Bianchi and Reborn!"

Tsuna jogged throughout the entire ship searching everywhere that as a guest he could look (There were places that he wasn't allowed to go in) for the three to no avail. There just wasn't any sight of them and he was quickly losing hope. None of the other guests on board were panicking or gossiping about strange people, security seemed to be doing absolutely nothing and Tsuna was on the final straw! He grabbed the sides of his head in worry. If security somehow found out that he knew the stowaways then he and Mom would be thrown off the ship with no way of getting back home. He marched passed the double doors of one of the many kitchens and quickly skidded to a stop and hurried to peek through the window on the door.

There was Bianchi finishing a poisonous dish of her own creation with many of the chefs watching on with awe. Tsuna shook his head and entered through and called out to the older woman. "Bianchi! I found you!"

"Ah, so you have. You there!" Bianchi pointed at one of the chefs. He pointed at himself in shock before he shook himself before approaching the woman in akin to wonder. Bianchi smirked. "It is ready, so may do what you like with my creation made with love."

Bianchi exited the kitchen area and followed after Tsuna as he walked through the hallways and tried to think of where else he could possibly look and found himself entering a concert hall. Bianchi crossed her arms. "So you have found everyone save Reborn and Ashlynn..."

Tsuna walked down one of the aisles between the empty seats, searching for the last two stowaways. He sighed when he made a full circuit around the room with no luck and stood by on of the many statues in the room. Next to him was a statue of the Virgin Mary and her baby with an angel hovering above her. Tsuna stared closely at the statue in wonder. 'I...I need to calm down. Where would Reborn and Ashlynn be at a time like this? Reborn is always hiding and dressing up as many things... in paintings and statues like these...Now that I think about it...that baby doesn't seem very...right...'

"Fnn, you actually found out." The angel opened his black eyes and stared at him.

Tsuna shrieked and back-peddled and fell over one of the theatre seats in surprise. 'H-he was actually the angel! No way!'

Reborn smirked as the baby turned into Leon and the Virgin Mary reached her arm up to take the cloth covering her hair off and her face to reveal Ashlynn still in what he thought was some sort of toga outfit. She smiled and gave a small wave. Reborn jumped to land on top of her head. "You did well Tsuna. Keen observational skills are indispensable in a mafia boss. Even more so in the Godfather."

"Reborn, it's strange. The guards do not seem to be searching for us anymore." Bianchi called out from looking out of the main double doors then walked to stand by Ashlynn.

"Of course they're not." Reborn smirked. "We did in fact do the proper paper work to have safe passage to Mafia-land."

"What! Then from the very start you planned this!...And...and you said 'Mafia-land'? What on Earth is that! I thought we were going to some tropical island!" Tsuna cried.

Reborn held his hand out and Leon returned to him. "It's a tropical mafia paradise, Tsuna."

"What? But, I don't understand at all! This shouldn't have anything to do with the mafia! Mom won the trip from a raffle off the tea bottle!"

"That was merely a fake notice that I slipped in. Because Maman does so much for us, I wanted to see that she gets some rest and have some fun."

"T-then this ship...and all of the passengers on board? and you never said what 'Mafia-land' is." Tsuna asked as they left the concert hall and walked down one of the hallways with windows towards the their room.

"All have some kind of connection to the mafia. The mafia paradise is a place created by all of the families pooling their funds to create a place where they could relax without having to worry about police crawling around. It's a whole island resort. And it seems that we have arrived." Reborn pointed outside the windows.

In the short distance was a large island theme park. Tsuna gaped with his face nearly touching the glass. "It's huge~!"

He would never know it until much much later but the security really was searching for a stowaway. He had sneaked into the ship and took refuge hiding in the cargo areas in a room where the ship held a pen of pigs. He was mumbling to himself (Or was it to the livestock he was sharing to room with?) how he would get to the Juudaime the very instant his sister left.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn whistled very impressed as she stepped down the platform of the ship and walked down the main road of the mafia land theme park resort through crowds of people from mafia families. She had changed out of her toga like garment into her two piece white and blue halter tankini and a pair of dark blue basketball gym shorts over her short bathing suit shorts and a pair of flip flops to cover her feet. She held a beach bag with a towel and other items such as her phone, charger and wallet.<p>

"Sooo, Mafia Land huh?" She asked the little hitman after a group of businessmen tried to convince Reborn to make an appearance at a press conference. He had refused. Then Tsuna made a big deal about how there were large balloons with Reborn's face with welcoming banners around the main hotel in the area. As one of the very best successful hitmen; With all the respect that everyone showed to him it wasn't very surprising to see something like that.

Reborn nodded. "This place has very tight security. Aside from the fact that the island itself can be moved to a coordinate of its' choosing, it also releases disruptive radiation that blocks its' presence and isolates it from the rest of the world. The mafia invested large amounts of dirty money into this place so that they could have a place to relax without worrying about pesky police squads wandering about. Vongola Nono himself has visited this places a few times."

Ashlynn nodded at the information (she already knew parts of it anyway.) then looked over when Maman squealed happily and pointed towards the beach.

"Look Tsu-kun look! It's the beach! Isn't it lovely? How about we go swimming first?"

Bianchi, Lambo, and I-pin cheered as they took off their outerwear and sprinted across the soft sand towards the water. Tsuna happily hopped into the air. "Yeah! Swimming first sounds great! We'll let the water was all worries away!"

"Ah, Tsuna, you can't."

"Huh? Why not?"

"You have to do the needed preparations for entering the island. You need to go to that building there (it's our hotel by the way. Nice, isn't it?) and go to the front desk and tell them that you have arrived. You have to do this because as the next Boss of the Vongola, you are our representative." Reborn removed his fedora and put a swimming cap over his hair and goggles over his eyes.

"Ughh, jeez, way to ruin my good mood. Alright, it's that building right? I'll be back in a little bit." Tsuna grumbled but made his way to the hotel.

Maman waved as she called after him. "We'll be waiting over here so make sure to hurry up, Tsu-kun!"

Ashlynn hid her growing smirk by turning away and following the kids example and toed her way through the sand towards where Bianchi was laying out beach towels and an umbrella for shade. Between her, Bianchi, and Maman they made sure that everyone had enough sunblock (light tanning for Bianchi) to keep from burning too badly. Though Ashlynn knew it was a bit of a lost cause on her. Even if she put layer upon layer of sunblock she was still going to burn; namely her face and her shoulders. For some reason she would get sunburned then that burn would somehow degrade into a tan.

Ashlynn laid out her own towel on the sand then took her gym shorts off and went to play with I-pin and Lambo in the shallow waters and looking for seashells for a while then she switched with Bianchi to sit with Maman underneath the umbrella. Reborn, she noticed, was unsurprisingly not present with them. No doubt he had already left to go torture Tsuna with the blonde, Rain Arcobaleno: Colonello. When Maman had brought it up that it was taking Tsuna awhile to get back Bianchi gave her a convincing story that he and Reborn had found something to do with their time and no doubt that they were having lots of fun right now so Maman shouldn't worry and focus herself on relaxing.

That was why they were now exploring the theme park rides and stalls of Mafia Land.

Ashlynn gave an amused chuckle when she caught sight of the swinging ship ride and went to go stand in line with Bianchi while Maman and the kids went to the bathroom. Bianchi raised an eyebrow at her mirth.

"I remembered a story that one of my brother's older friends (his friend's name was Arron by the way) told me once. He had gone with a group of his friends went out on his twenty-second birthday for drinks then one had the idea of going to a theme park and one of the rides they went on was the pirate swinging ship."

The line for the ride inched forward as more people went on. Ashlynn and Bianchi would be in the next group on.

"Aaron said that the ship they were waiting line for looked like a realistic pirate ship with all the ropes and pulleys. When they got close he started to make observations. 'Wow, it's squeaking really loud. Do you think that it could break? You guys never know; a group like ours could go on it and then it would break.' And they were in the middle of a group of kids when he was saying this!"

Bianchi smirked but Ashlynn wasn't finished yet. Some of the kids around them began to look up fearfully at the swinging ship while some of the parents shot Ashlynn a glare as they tried to console their children.

"Then...ha ha...then when they get on the ride, Aaron sat in the third to last row and there are kids sitting in the row in front of them. He starts holding his stomach and moaning that he shouldn't have drank that beer before getting on and claimed that he was going to throw up! The, the girl in front of him kept looking back, so to mess with her and the kid next to her, Aaron starts making sounds like he's throwing up!"

Bianchi had to hold her stomach she was laughing so hard! Ashlynn snickered at some of the looks she was receiving from the people around them. Some of the kids were crying and were taken out of line by their parents.

"The only way he could have upped that is actually throwing up on them!"

After the ship the two went and rejoined the group with Maman and spent the rest of the day with her, occasionally Ashlynn looked towards the fence that she had seen Tsuna grasp onto looking out to the amusement park just out of the poor boys reach. He had been dragged away by two small figures she couldn't make out at her distance but she knew that it was Reborn and Colonello competing against each other using Tsuna as their victim. Every once and awhile Maman would see him and call for him to join her and the kids but when he never left the area behind the fence she figured that he found something he really liked so she left him to it. In her mind there wasn't enough things that Tsuna liked to do while he was outdoors.

But when lunchtime came around that was when he mother started to worry a bit. "Hmmm. I'm a little worried about Tsu-kun and Reborn-chan...do you think that they have eaten yet? They are growing boys..."

Ashlynn looked over from her finished meal and smiled. "Do you want me to go check on them, Maman? I could bring them something to eat in case they haven't eaten yet."

"Would you? Thank you Ashlynn-chan, here take this." Maman pressed money into her hands. Ashlynn tried to give it back saying that she did have money on her but Maman smiled, shook her head and sent her off to buy some to go lunches from the restaurant they were sitting at then off to find the boys. Luckily she didn't really need to look for them. She just made her way to the front desk of the hotel that Tsuna had first entered and never returned. The woman behind the desk gave her a welcoming smile as she approached and asked how she could be of service when she saw the card that Reborn had given Bianchi to pass out to them all before he left to torture Tsuna.

"There was a boy who came here this morning named Tsuna and he was followed by Reborn to the backstage training grounds. I was sent check on Tsuna and bring them all something to eat."

The woman nodded and had a man escort her through the halls to the subway, opened the doors and sent her speeding on her way. Ashlynn waited for the little subway fully come to a stop before she stood up and exited through the doors. She quickly ducked to the ground and barreled to the right across the ground mindful of the boxes in her hands.

"Hmph, not too bad to be able to dodge so quickly, but you should have jumped towards the left instead of the right. Look forward and you'll understand, Kora!" A voice called out.

Ashlynn momentarily froze on spot as she looked forward to see what was in front of her. She shook her head to regain her nerves, carefully stood up and backed slowly away. She had been mere inches away from a deep pit of hissing snakes. If she had jumped with more force then she would have fallen right in there. Ashlynn sighed at her mistake as she walked to where Reborn and the other Arcobaleno were sitting on top of a beaten and exhausted Tsuna.

Reborn smirked. "Colonello, this is Ashlynn Meagher. One of the stronger members of Tsuna's family. Ashlynn, this person is a former member of the Italian combat frogmen force, Comsubin, Colonello. He is in charge of the backstage training facilities and the islands defense."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Colonello-san."

The blonde baby nodded in acknowledgment as a seagull nestled on his head. "Colonello is fine and this is Falco. I suppose that Reborn here is also your tutor, kora?"

"Not as much as he tutors Tsuna, but I will get some instruction every once and awhile. Bianchi and Keiko work with me more often." Ashlynn informed the baby.

Tsuna groaned and blearily squinted his eyes open. "A-Ashlynn...? What are you doing here...?"

"Maman got worried because you and Reborn have been here the entire day and never checked in with her. So she sent me to find you and bring you something to eat. I saw you here through the fence too, Colonello, so there's one for you here as well if you want." Ashlynn explained and she told them to pick whatever box they wanted before they all settled down for a small break. Tsuna sighed in relief; that he would be able to rest and that Reborn wasn't stealing food from him during the meal and he was able to doze off a bit after he ate.

"Is there something wrong, kora?" Colonello asked after catching her staring.

Ashlynn tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Nope, just thinking is all. You have a pacifier too...its the fourth color I've seen so far..."

"Fourth, huh, kora?"

"She's met Fon." Reborn supplied with a frown. "Who else did you see with a pacifier, Ashlynn?"

"When Keiko and Bianchi took me to that Christmas party I saw the man you said was Algar, and next to him was infant with blue hair that had a dark pacifier around her neck. I didn't get to talk to them though because Keiko and a man named Lussuria kept taking me away to dance."

Reborn nodded. "Lal Mirch, she doesn't really count though..."

Colonello's stare was stern. "And what are your thoughts, kora?"

"Hmmm, they're pretty colors, they appear to light up when your near each other, you're all infants, you have an animal partner (except for...Lal, was it?), and I'm convinced that your all superheroes with the pacifier as a source of super power of some sort." Ashlynn listed off.

"Hmph, observant isn't she, kora?" Colonello directed at a smirking Reborn.

"Of course."

After the little meal Colonello decided to test Ashlynn and see if she was any better than the wimp that Reborn was tutoring the most (Tsuna was quickly put through the training all over again in response to the challenging tone). Not surprisingly she had done a lot better than her 'Boss' but she figured that it was because she could actually swim whereas Tsuna just flailed about. Though she did stumble and freeze (actually she freaked out) a bit in fear when a shark had been let into the waters.

They all looked up when they heard an explosion accompanied by a bout of screaming. Tsuna jumped at the sound and shrieked. "Hiiiiiie! A-are we under attack! What's going on! Is it a mafia family! But then why would they attack! Isn't this place neutral territory?"

"Because not every mafia family has invested in Mafia Land." Reborn explained. "This place was made by rather friendly mafia famiglia who don't deal drugs, but you'll have to remember that not all mafia families agree to be friendly. I can think of some, but not many are stupid enough to directly attack Mafia Land."

"Y-you mean a battle is going break out here?" Tsuna squeaked.

"More like a war, kora." Colonello grumbled then he motioned to both his and Reborn's pacifiers that were now glowing more brightly. "Reborn, look, the pacifiers are glowing. It should be someone that we know..."

Reborn smirked darkly. "Yeah, and he's the only one of us that would do something so stupid... It's Skull. This is now a war between the mafia famiglia on the island against the Calcassa family."

Ashlynn watched silently as Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head with both hands, a sure sign that he was very upset and he moaned in dismay. "Crap~ I didn't think that a war would break out! How did things come to this! Are we going to die!"

"The situation looks pretty bleak." Colonello remarked dryly lowering a pair of binoculars and looked towards them. "The people who were originally responsible for the majority of the islands security have all taken leave to attend the funeral and memorial of a deceased Boss. So there is very little actual military power left on the island. But as long as I'm here, I won't let them do whatever they please...but I just ate..and...it's... nap time right now..."

The former Comsubin member and his familiar Falco fell asleep with a bubble blowing from their noses.

"Let's leave Colonello here. I'm worried about Maman, so let's take the subway back to the hotel...then...we'll..."

Tsuna yelled irritably. "You're falling asleep too!"

"Tsuna! We need to go back and find Maman, Bianchi and the kids! And I'm sure that I saw Gokudera earlier today too. Those two should be fine here but we don't know about the others. Come on, Tsuna, let's go!" Ashlynn pulled on his arm and led him back to the little station then cursed loudly as the power went out. She didn't bother to apologize for her language and dug into her bag and pulled out her phone to give them light.

She sighed. "We can't use the subway anymore, the power's out. Thank goodness this happened while we weren't on it otherwise it may have been a problem to get out. Come on, we'll follow the tunnel to the other side."

"R-right!"

Ashlynn took the lead with her phone lighting the way with a hand on Tsuna's wrist to keep him with her and make sure he didn't trip as they walked along the tracks of the shut down subway until they made it to the end of the tunnel where they found a large mansion like fortress. One of the enormous double doors opened and a person with silver like hair poked his head out then the door was opened more to reveal Gokudera wildly motioning for them to run to the doors. Once inside four men closed the opening again with a thud.

"Tsu-kun! Ashlynn-chan!"

The three maneuvered their way over to the wall on the far right. Maman was standing next to Bianchi with both Lambo and I-pin in her arms. "Thank goodness you're all alright. I'm going to go with the other ladies to help prepare food. I-pin, Lambo come along now. We don't want to be in anyone's way."

She, Bianchi and the kids went through another set of doors no doubt towards the area where the kitchen was.

"So there was a spy from the Calcassa family on the island!" One of the men in the crowd said out loud.

Another man smirked and brandished two pistols in his hands "I was getting a little tired of this boring place. "It's nice but a bit too peaceful for my taste to stay for very long. "

"Hahaha! Just the thought of a gun in my hands and able to fire excites me!" Another yelled with a rifle.

"The mafia are cut out to fight! Not stay inside where its safe!"

"Yeah!"

An Asian man with the kanji of 'Boss' on his clothing stepped forward with many of his men pushing through. "This battle should be led by us, The Nero Famiglia that controls Asia."

"Wait!" A greasy European man called out as his men stepped forward. "We should be the ones to give out the commands; we are the ones with a history of rules and traditions. The leader should be the Boss of the Beccio Famiglia!"

A larger man this time pushed into the fray with his gangsters. "You back country hicks should all move aside and follow the Nubo gang. The Family that controls New York!"

"What! Who are you callin' a hick?"

"You wanna fight!"

"Let's take this outside Boss!"

The members of the three conflicting families scuffled together, Gokudera and Ashlynn had to push to keep from being separated from Tsuna. For a moment Gokudera was pushed out of the way then he pushed right back calling for Tsuna to make sure he was alright in the crowd.

"Juudaime! Juudaime! Are you alright!"

That quickly got the attention of the three mafia families fighting amongst each other and the other families that were waiting for someone to take charge as their Boss's weren't present.

The Boss who claimed to have all of Asia under control scoffed at Tsuna. "Aren't you a pompous child...making a nickname for yourself. 'Juudaime' indeed."

"It's not a nickname! Sawada-san is our Boss!" Gokudera growled.

"Ohoho? Then which unknown family are you from then 'Juudaime'?" The European Boss asked snidely.

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at the rude man as she flashed one of her bracelets into a chakram blade. She raised an eyebrow at the mafia members surrounding them on all sides. "We are the new generation of the Vongola Family. Do you have a problem with that, sir?"

The room swiftly fell into murmured conversations in shock of the new information.

"That boy there is the next Boss to succeed Vongola Nono?"

"He is to become the new Godfather!"

"It would be best to stay in his favor..."

The Bosses that had argued stepped forward and bowed to Tsuna. "Please forgive our rudeness, Juudaime!"

"It seems that the problem for the leader has been solved." The Boss from New York grinned.

The European Boss continued on to save face and smiled at Tsuna (The man didn't realize how creepy he looked because of it.) "Tradition, rules, power; No matter what it is we might have we are still in no way a match for the greatness of the Vongola family!

The entire room shouted as a few men lifted Tsuna up in the air and carried him out through the double doors. "We will follow the Vongola Juudaime!"

"What! But I'm not- No!" Tsuna's squeal of denial was completely drowned out by the cheering.

One man hollered down from atop one of the surrounding walls as he and the other men on the wall began open fire on the attackers. "Their footmen have begun to charge! Men, don't let them get through!"

Everyone looked to Tsuna for instructions.

"Let's do this Boss!"

"Please give us instructions!"

"We'll blow them up sky high!"

"We'll follow your orders to the T, sir!"

"We support on-site commands!"

The men picked Tsuna up again and ran with them above their heads through the small grove of trees to the front lines with Ashlynn following after with her eye on Tsuna. Gokudera waved at them and yelled out that he would follow after them once he helped cleared the area that was attacking the walls of the fort with dynamite. They quickly stopped as the ground began to shake and they let Tsuna back on his feet on the ground.

One of the men from New York pointed at the lead figure that walked through the trees. "Boss! That is the commander of the Calcassa Family forces, Skull! No doubt about it. That purple pacifier is the sign of an Arcobaleno!"

Tsuna stuttered over the word. "A-arco...baleno...?"

"This is the fifth..."Ashlynn murmured quietly.

The man nodded then gave the signal to open fire against the opposing family. "Arcobaleno is the Italian word for rainbow. In the mafia, it represents the seven strongest infants in the entire world!"

The baby hitman was wearing a dark jumpsuit and a biker helmet concealed his face from view. He made a signal with his hands and the bullets that had been shot in his direction had been deflected away. A giant purple armored octopus came into view with tree limbs tore from the Earth and was used to deflect bullets and threw them and groups of mafia hitmen. Skull made another signal with his hand and the octopus reached with it's armored tentacles to hold and subdue, or throw whatever and whoever was in its path.

"What, you still haven't eaten that octopus yet, Skull?"

Ashlynn turned her head to face Reborn who had called from a low branch of a nearby tree and smiled before she had to roll out of the way of an oncoming tree trunk. Skull twitched at the taunt.

Reborn smirked. "Like I have said before Skull, I'm sure that it would taste delicious. Have you ever eaten sushi before? I know some very talented chefs who'd be more than happy to prepare a feast out of this creature."

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelled. "You finally woke up! While you were safe and asleep I was getting screwed over!"

The commander of the Calcassa family froze when he realized that it really was Reborn that had jumped down from the tree and looked towards him. "Why?" Skull asked feebly. "Why is Reborn-senpai here?"

"You didn't realize that your pacifier was glowing, Skull? We don't meet very often. We should go get a drink and turn that octopus into sashimi."

Skull pointed angrily at the other Arcobaleno. "I have received orders from the Calcassa Boss to come here! I have to obliterate!"

"Why do you always end up as someone's errand boy, Skull? How pathetic."

"I am not an errand boy! You are! You're the only one that ever does this to me! Always looking down on me! I'm going to teach you a lesson Reborn-senpai!" Skull signaled for the Octopus to seize Reborn.

As the purple tentacle wrapped around his body, Reborn slid the Leon pistol into his hand and shot a round at the other Arcobaleno.

Skull laughed. "Shooting my left hand... your speed as always is incredible senpai. I was careless. But even if I have one hand I can still have you squeezed to Death! How's that Reborn! I am not the same old Skull from before! Now die!"

…

Ashlynn gave an amused chuckle as Reborn slipped out of the tentacles hold with no effort at all. Skull began to panic and frantically ordered his familiar to charge at the other Arcobaleno.

"I think he's confused. He's never seen your left hand like that." Reborn pointed at Skull's now enlarged left hand. "If a fist is shot by the dying will bullet then it becomes the clenched fist bullet. The octopus can't understand the command so he won't move. Now...It's my turn!"

Reborn shot forward and swiftly struck the other Arcobaleno through a tree.

Skull groaned in pain. "This is not how it is going to end, Senpai. I can still give the order to blow up the island and take all of you with me!"

Ashlynn sighed and called to the purple baby hitman "That probably won't happen, Skull. If Reborn is awake now then so is Colonello."

"What! Colonello-senpai is here too?"

"Uh, yeah. He's in charge of the security of this place..." Ashlynn sweat dropped.

"What! You're serious!"

In the end Colonello had destroyed the attacking ships cutting off any reinforcements from the other Calcassa family members. Tsuna finally passed the test to prove his mafia identity (Though he kept trying to say that he didn't want to be part of the mafia) and was able to leave the backstage training grounds. Sadly for him, by the time that he and Gokudera had changed and ran out to the beach towards the water, Maman called out to them.

"What are you two doing, Tsu-kun? It's time to leave now. Let's go or we are going to miss the ship back home!"

" What! N-no way!"

Ashlynn waved goodbye to Colonello as they boarded onto the ship for Japan and got an amused wave back when Reborn jumped to sit on her shoulder. She hummed. "Two colors...including yours and Fon's. Yellow, red, blue and purple. And I learned today that they call you 'Arcobaleno' meaning 'rainbow' so that means that there are another three since that Lal person doesn't count, right?"

"That is correct."

Ashlynn didn't ask any further as the ship sailed away from Mafia-Land.

* * *

><p>I remember reading somewhere, that a person found on one of the scanlations of Katekyo Hitman Reborn manga that Tsuna actually did have an older sister who is in college. Nana complained in one page to Tsuna that she never had to tell his sister to study...I won't be making a character for her. I'm just throwing that out there... Perhaps one day I may make a story out of that plot bunny...someday...maybe...<p>

(1) Palla: female version of the roman toga

Yes, I am borrowing Moroooka Kinshiro from 'Persona 4' ~


	13. Chapter 13

**"Let me fill your heart with joy**

**and laughter, Togetherness,**

**Well that's all that I'm after**

**Whenever you need me**

**I'll be There**

**I'll be there to protect you**

**With an unselfish love that respects you**

**Just call my name and I'll be there"**

**'I'll be There' -Jackson 5**

* * *

><p>"Mom~ I'm back!" Tsuna called out walking through the front door loosening the tie around his neck and kicking to the door closed. "Sigh, it's always rainy or humid in June and there aren't any holidays during the whole month. It's so tiring...and Ashlynn says that the students in the U.S. normally get the end of May all the way to August or September for their summer break, and they get two day weekends and half-days and other breaks that are a week or two long and-hmmm?"<p>

Tsuna paused in the middle of the hallway in front of the door looking at the high table that they used to hold a small vase with whatever flowers the kids pick for Mom and a small bowl for the mail. There was a card on top of the pile addressed specifically to him by name. "What is this? I don't usually get any mail...A Wedding invitation! Inviting me to come! Who-who is it? Who do I know that's getting married!" Tsuna cried opening the seal and immediately dropped the invite in shock. He shook his head before taking another look to be sure of the names written inside of a heart. "N-No way! Reborn and Bianchi! But when! And how come I never knew about this happening! He did say that they were lovers but he said it in past tense so...and isn't he just a year old? This...this is too much...is...is someone playing a joke on me..really funny...haha..ha..ha...?"

Tsuna jumped when the door opened and Kyoko and Haru stepped through the threshold in a nice pink and teal dresses respectively while Hana stood on the porch in a dark blue dress with the boys wearing black suits. Tsuna's jaw dropped then waved the invitation in the air. "K-Kyoko-chan! and Haru and everyone! E-everyone is here and all dressed up!...Then this is actually real!"

"Are you ready to go TO THE EXTREME?" Ryohei greeted him.

Gokudera made a sweeping bow. "Juudaime! We have come to escort you!"

"So let's go to the ceremony hall together okay? This is my first time going to a wedding. Isn't it exciting?" Kyoko smiled.

Hana shook her head. "How come you're not ready yet Sawada? You don't plan on going in your school uniform are you?"

Tsuna sputtered as he was lead out of the house and off the property. "Then this really is real? It's not a joke?"

"No joke kid. Weddings are serious business."

"Hiiiiiie!"

"Jeez, settle down kid. No need to screech."

Tsuna whirled around to face Dolly leaning against the limo in the street next to the house in a maroon dress. He wasn't able to talk anymore since the woman grabbed him and stuffed him in the back of the vehicle and motioned for everyone to get in and nodded to their driver that they were all set to go. The woman gave Tsuna's uniform an odd look before remembering that Niamh had told her that Reborn usually and purposefully left Tsuna out of the loop and this event was most likely no different. Which was why they had an 'extra' suit in the boy's exact size waiting for him at the church. She had asked why Reborn would do that and Niamh's answer was a shrug while saying, 'Not sure. He's to be a mafia Boss~ . Maybe it's to get him used to having to get to meetings and events like these on very short notice. Even when said short notice is literally mere hours before the event. That's what I think anyway. And Reborn has told me straight up that he teaches the wrong way of doing things before the correct way so that you learn not to do it the bad way.' Dolly guessed it may be a good skill to be ready and prepared for anything at a moments notice so she nodded her head and went along with it. She just wished the boy would stop screeching. It's alright to be surprised but his screams sounded rather girly to her...

Tsuna looked down at his hands. "I can't believe this~. Everyone of you has known about this? And no one notices that Reborn is a baby?"

"Sorry Tsuna. We thought you knew since he lives with you." Yamamoto apologized.

Hana huffed. "That should be the reason why he knows. Since he lives with the groom."

Tsuna sighed as they stepped out of the car in front of a church and as they walked up the steps a sign caught his eye that announced the event with Reborn and Bianchi's names. He gaped as he was herded inside the building and to a side room to change into a suit left out for him. When he walked out he was shuffled with the others in front of a door that said 'Bride Waiting Room'. "It's not a joke..."

"I told you it wasn't, kid. You should pay attention when people talk to you. Besides the invitation must have been more than enough proof to convince you." Dolly said opening the door and waved them in and raised a brow when Tsuna hesitated. "What's wrong?"

"U-um, are we really allowed in there?"

Dolly nodded. "It's fine. You go on in I'm going to find Niamh and Birdy."

Tsuna nodded reluctantly and wondered who 'Niamh' was as he went in and closed the door behind him in case Reborn was walking around before he stood next to Ryohei. The girls cooed in awe as Bianchi turned away from a full length mirror to face them in a strapless white gown and a veil over her pulled up hair. Both Kyoko and Haru clasped their hands to their chests singing praises for the beautiful bride.

"Hahi, beautiful-desu~."

"Bianchi-chan you look amazing!"

Hana smiled. "This is the beauty of an adult woman."

"Really. Bianchi you look very beautiful. Congratulations by the way." Tsuna told the bride.

Bianchi smiled serenely as she carefully set down her bouquet and raised a hand to cover her blush. "Thank you, all of you. It has always been a dream for me to become a June bride. It is a good month and when I asked Reborn about it while planning the celebration he nodded many times. He even agreed to be married right away instead of waiting another full year before being wed."

"Oh, I want to be one to when I get married!' Kyoko smiled.

Haru sighed dreamily. "A June bride~ It has such a lovely sound to it doesn't it?"

"Being a June bride is really that important?" Tsuna wondered out loud.

"Of course it's important." Hana explained. "When an adult woman marries she married in June; Even if it's really not June at all it doesn't matter. She's getting married in June."

"Right~" Koyko and Haru chorused.

Tsuna's shoulders slumped. "That's just unreasonable..."

"Right! It's just like how I am always EXTREME!" Ryohei punched up in the air.

Gokudera jumped up from his seat. "Don't try to make the two seem familiar, Turf Top!"

"What was that Octopus Head!" he yelled at Gokudera's back.

"Come on." Tsuna stepped in. "We should be celebrating today so please don't fight...Hey? Gokudera-kun? You're alright in front of Bianchi?"

"Yes Juudaime! With these glasses on I can't see a thing!"

"Eh? What is it Gokudera? Tsuna is over there." Yamamoto pointed.

Gokudera standing next to Yamamoto looked in the opposite direction. "Over here?"

'He really can't see a thing.' Tsuna sweat dropped. Then looked closely at Bianchi smiling and the dress she was wearing. 'I...I've seen that dress before...'

"That's right Tsu-kun." Maman placed her hands on her son's shoulders. "I'm letting her borrow my wedding dress for her special day."

"Eh? You kept it?"

"Of course! I was going to have your bride wear it on your wedding."

"M-my bride?" Tsuna sputtered.

"It's a lovely dress! I'd like to try it on too!" Kyoko giggled.

Tsuna stared at her. 'If Kyoko-chan were to wear that dress...then would...then she would marry...she'd marry...She'd marry me!...No, of course not. Like I could be that lucky for that to ever happen...'

"Haru doesn't want that to happen either!"

"Hiiiiie!"

Haru's eyes sparkled as she imagined her dream wedding with Tsuna knowingly being the groom. "Haru has already decided that when she marries it will be in a bunkin-takashimada! And then Haru will change into a decorative white tiered cake costume for the reception!"

"What! Why would you want to do that?" Tsuna cried.

"Tsunayoshi." Bianchi called for his attention. "Would you mind checking on Reborn for me? I would go myself but you the groom is not supposed to see his bride until I walk down the isle to meet him at the altar."

"Yeah, sure thing." Tsuna nodded and went to do just that as the girls fluttered around Bianchi and the boys decided to walk around.

"Oh, Tsu-kun, Reborn is in the dressing room two doors down on the left, okay?" Maman told him before he shut the door.

"Thanks Mom." Tsuna shut the door and knocked on the door Maman said Reborn was in, let himself inside and gasped when he saw the groom in one of the chairs smiling. Tsuna moved forward and gave him a hearty handshake. "Wow! You're all formal, too! I guess it's true when they say that the clothes really do make the man. You know, Reborn, I really wish that you would have told me about this earlier...but still...congratulations and I hope tha-"

CRACK

"...Crack...?" Tsuna looked down at the hand had been shaking then slowly up the arm to the shoulder that was no longer attached to the Hitman's arm. "...Reborn...?...Your arm...It...came off...IT CAME OFF~!"

"Who's in here!" The door slammed against the wall.

"Hiiiiiiiie! D-Dino-san! Reborn! It's Reborn! You have to help! He, his arm his arm came off! Quick call an ambulance! Medic!"

Dino still standing in the doorway sighed in relief and closed the door behind him after making sure no one had noticed Tsuna's yelling. He walked forward and put his hands in Tsuna's shoulders. "Shhhh. Tsuna, calm down, it's okay. Reborn doesn't need any medical attention. Honest."

"Th-then he's able to grow his arm back!"

"No...at least I don't think he has that particular ability...that doesn't matter right now. This here isn't really Reborn, Tsuna. It's a doll with Reborn's likeness." Dino took the arm away from the boy and fixed it back to the doll's body.

"A-a doll?" Tsuna stuttered in disbelief. "Then where is the real Reborn? Why isn't he here for his own wedding?"

Dino pressed his fingers to his temples. "He didn't show. In fact you could say that he got cold feet and ran away."

"What! The groom ran away!"

"Tsuna please don't yell you don't know who could be walking the halls right now! Anyway, when I called him this morning to congratulate him...he said 'Fnn, I don't know anything about a wedding. Though I remember that Bianchi had been in a very good mood when I woke up from my nap~'. That's what he told me so what I think happened was that Bianchi had asked him to marry her while he was napping."

"So this is a misunderstanding on Bianchi's part? But, but if Bianchi ever finds out about this...that Reborn ran away...even if it was a misunderstanding..."

"Yeah, she'll go berserk and in her rage she'll kill everyone in attendance until she finds him. And the same will happen if we try to cancel the ceremony. I think Reborn saw this coming so he had prepared a replacement."

"Replacement? But won't we get busted immediately if we use the doll? And who knows what will happen if anyone finds out that we knew that Reborn skipped out."

The doll whacked Tsuna across the back of his head. "Say that again if you have the guts."

"Hiiiiiie!"

Dino snickered at his reaction and revealed a remote controller from his jacket and fiddled with the buttons. "You have to admit that this is very well made. Even you were fooled until I told it was a doll. I've heard that it was made with the Vongola's newest technology at their disposal. We can use this remote here to have him perform simple actions and say certain phrases and words. I've already sent someone to search for Reborn's whereabouts so all we can really do now is use the doll and hold out for as long as we can until Reborn comes back so there won't be a massacre."

Tsuna slumped into the chair next to the doll. "You really think that this is going to work?"

"It's the best we can hope for in this situation Tsuna. It's about time for the ceremony to start so we should get going. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best."

* * *

><p>Ashlynn thought that the two Bosses were doing fairly well so far in keeping everyone, especially Bianchi, from knowing that the Reborn really wasn't with them and a controlled doll left in his place. Well, almost everyone; Dolly kept giving her glances and Birdy had noticed it wasn't him and had brought it discreetly to her attention.. Ashlynn thanked her for telling her but asked to keep this to herself. They didn't want Bianchi to become upset.<p>

Still, Ashlynn knew that everything was going to go to Hell in a hand basket soon but since it would turn out well and okay in the end she wasn't all too worried. Not yet anyway."

"Evviva gli sposi!"

The room erupted into a thundering applause as the newlyweds raised their drinks in response to the toast. Ashlynn clinked her glass with Ryohei and Yamamoto who were sitting with her in the seat between them. Lambo and I-pin jumped up to clink their cups with everyone at their table before hopping back into their chairs.

She watched as Bianchi said something to Reborn and raised his cup to his lips for a drink. The Reborn doll froze and started to convulse in the chair. "Shaa..."

Ashlynn heard Dino swear. "Shit!"

Reborn paused before his head started nodding up and down so fast that it looked like he was vibrating then he leaped across the room and dived into one of the water fish tanks. "Shananananana! Naaaaaaa! Naaa~~~."

"...This...this isn't Reborn. My Reborn wouldn't talk or act in this sort of manner. WHERE IS REBORN! WHICH ONE OF YOU IS HIDING HIM! SPEAK UP!" Bianchi demanded the crowd with two semi-automatics aimed at the guests.

Tsuna quickly plucked the swimming doll our of the fish tank and rushed him back to the main table. "Wh-what are you talking about Bianchi? This is Reborn."

"Ciaossu."

Dino laughed nervously. "This is a wedding reception! He's a little nervous and he slipped into the water!"

"Nervous!...You're right...you're absolutely right! I'm such a selfish person! I hadn't considered his feelings at all! Oh Reborn I'm so sorry! Could you find it in you to forgive me?" Bianchi clasped her hands with the doll's.

"Thank goodness, we were able to trick her.' Dino cut in. "Since he's drenched why don't Tsuna and I take him to go get changed? Wouldn't want to ruin that lovely dress."

"Oh! Of course, this is Maman's old dress after all. You go on ahead Reborn. I'll be waiting for you right here."

Ashlynn watched as Dino and Tsuna took away the doll with Gokudera following after them and a curious Lambo trailing after him with bright eyes shining since seeing the remote control that Dino had been carrying around with him. She didn't react as a pair of breasts were pressed to the top of her head and arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"They're doing well so far, sweet pea." Keiko remarked airily playing with one of the springy curls in her hair. "They're being a little obvious though. Fortunate for them that no one else has noticed yet or don't care to tell anyone else."

Ashlynn hummed in agreement. "So far so good but it's not over yet. They were lucky to take this chance to fix any problems from the electrical shortage. But Lambo followed them and will definitely be taking every possible chance to take the remote away so he can play with it. I just hope he doesn't realize it's controlling Reborn's likeness. We'll probably never hear the end of that."

"Ah, here they come~. Evviva gli sposi!" Keiko toasted and was answered by an applause by the guests for the bride and groom.

Bianchi smiled happily as Reborn was seated next to her again and nodded to waiter to continue. "Let's move onto the cake, alright Reborn? I made it personally."

On one of the tables where there had been a cloth draped over a towered shape revealed it to be a purple tiered wedding cake with flowers, borders, and poison. There was a motif on the second layer with Reborn and Bianchi's likeness surrounded by a heart in frosting. It was lovely to look at despite the purple vapor being exuded into the air and the many bugs crawling around on the surface. Until Reborn crashed into the frosting Bianchi's face waving his arms and yelling out

'Ciaossu!'.

"Haha! Things are getting really exciting huh?" Yamamoto laughed.

"Hahi? Is that a tradition? To jump into the cake instead of jumping out of it?" Haru wondered out loud.

"Haru thinks it's a wonderful fun idea! Haru will do it too for her wedding as well!"

"G-Gokudera-kun! What are you doing!" Tsuna cried and gasped when he saw Gokudera blindly patting the floor since he couldn't see because of the glasses and Lambo just out of his reach mashing all the buttons on the controller in delight. "Oh no, Lambo!"

Bianchi slammed her fist onto the table while her other fisted into the back of Reborn's coat lifting him into the air. "This is not something that my Reborn would do! Tell me where Reborn is! Where is he! TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"

"Not good. Not good! B-Bianchi! I'm sure that there is really Reborn!"

"Yeah! Remember he's just a little nervous with all of this commotion! You know that Reborn really isn't one to have this many people here who aren't really close friends." Dino agreed with Tsuna as both jumped up to placate the bride that now had a knife in her hand.

Bianchi growled and kicked the two away from her towards the back tables. Ashlynn left her seat without notice and hurried to where the two had landed now beneath the table. She went behind the table lifted the cloth and crawled in under right behind the two Bosses who were laying on the floor peeking out through the cloth on the other side in wonder as Bianchi cried in relief that Reborn had somehow turned back to normal thanks to Lambo somehow pressing the correct sequence of buttons on the controller.

"This. Is. A. Test." Reborn's voice rang.

"A Test!" Bianchi cried.

"Of course." Dolly called out. "There is a tradition that obstacles are put in a bride's way to see how well she could handle married life. This one is to see how much you're willing to put up with him as your husband. It was the same for my wedding."

Bianchi dropped the knife. "Oh, Reborn! I understand now! You can relax! Such a miniscule thing is nothing before the love between us."

Dolly called out the toast. "Evviva gli sposi!"

Ashlynn grinned as she scooted closer between the two males as they sighed in relief that Lambo had surprisingly salvaged the situation before Bianchi truly snapped. "So what are you two doing unsupervised beneath the table?"

"Hiiiiie!"

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Both Bosses yelled and hit their heads on the bottom of the table in surprise. Ashlynn waited as they rubbed at

their scalps to reduce the sting before she asked again.

"Ah, um...nothing! Nothing really...we were thrown back...and...there, there was...something...and... Um...ah, Ashlynn... you look..lovely?" Dino tried to explain but couldn't seem to blurt the words out of his mouth.

She shook her head and decided a different approach though she already knew the answer. Though they didn't need to know that. "Thank you, but I'd rather you not tell me that like it's a question, Dino. You may try again later. Now, who has the remote?"

"R-remote?"

Ashlynn sighed. "To the doll of course. Really, please don't take me for an idiot. I know that it's really not Reborn. Hell, I know it's not even one of the costumes he pulls out every now and then."

"What! So you knew that it really wasn't Reborn! D-does anyone else know? And...EH? You knew that it was Reborn dressing up the entire time!" Tsuna hissed.

"Of course I knew. I just never said anything."

Tsuna grabbed at the sides of his head. "But why? Why wouldn't you say anything! Maybe he'd stop doing it if someone else called him on it!"

"Maybe he'd stop doing it if you'd stop freaking out about it." Ashlynn deadpanned.

"You really think that that would work?" Dino asked.

"No."

Tsuna grabbed at his hair. "Then why say that he might stop!"

"Then maybe you'll stop freaking out Tsuna. Anyway Reborn's costume habit isn't important right now because he's not here. Instead there's a doll being controlled by a remote you obviously don't have in your possession right now. I know that Keiko, Dolly and Birdy know that it's really not the real Reborn and I know that Gokudera has been helping you." Ashlynn shrugged and lifted the cloth to see Gokudera unknowingly jump in front of his sister, took off his glasses, and fell over sick after she looked him in the eye and kissed his cheeks.

"Or he was helping you. He just keeled over."

They looked up as the tablecloth was lifted from the same place that Ashlynn had entered and Dolly poked her head under the table and gave them a questioning glance. "What are you three doing beneath the table?"

"It's okay Dolly~." Ashlynn gave her a thumbs up. "I'm supervising."

"...Alright Niamh. Carry on." Dolly moved the tablecloth back into place.

Tsuna looked at her strangely. "You're Niamh?"

"It's an old nickname my Grandmother and my brother used and now Dolly and sometimes Birdy uses it. Now, I think we should get out from beneath the table before someone really misses us, okay?"

'I didn't know she had a brother...' Tsuna thought.

"Alright, let's go." Dino motioned for her to lead the way.

Ashlynn crawled backwards towards where Dolly had poked in and was grateful that no one was watching in their direction. Though the reason for that was because Reborn was malfunctioning again and he spat oil into Bianchi's face. She quickly pulled up the tablecloth and pulled both Bosses out from beneath the table to see.

"Hiiiiiie! This is really bad!" Taking the chance while Bianchi was stunned by the Doll's behavior Tsuna leaped for the controller in Lambo's hands. "Lambo! Quick give it here!"

"Nope! Don't wanna! Lambo still wants to play!" Lambo blew a raspberry and jumped into the air with I-pin hot on his tail crying for him to stop making mischief. Lambo bounced off a table and onto the ground dislodging the Ten Year Bazooka as he tried to make his escape. The purple weapon swallowed both children in a cloud of pink smoke.

"Ah! What is this place?" came the voice of the future I-pin as she waved the smoke away from her and her white qipao. "Oh, Sawada-san, can you tell me where I am? I was just making sure that Kawahira-oji-san had ramen. The food at Ashlynn's wedding reception wasn't agreeing with him so he asked for something else. I have to go Sawada-san before the noodles become soggy! Goodbye~!"

'Ashlynn is getting married on this day ten years from now? First Bianchi being a June bride and the girls wanting to be one and now future Ashlynn too? Is being a June bride seriously as important as they say it is?'' Tsuna wondered.

"The food here is pretty good~"

'Eh? Adult Lambo is here too!" Tsuna looked over to see Lambo sitting at one of the tables with a full plate in front of him.

Hana rushed forward. "You're the cute guy with the cow printed shirt!"

"ROMEO!" Tsuna whipped his head in Bianchi's direction as she stalked slowly forward. "I thought things were odd. First Reborn is acting out of character and now you dare to show your face here on my wedding day! All of this must be your doing!"

"Oh no! She's confusing him for her old lover again!" Tsuna cried as the older Lambo cowered.

Bianchi picked up two dishes that instantly turned the food upon it into poison cooking. "I will send you to Hell right now!"

"Please hold on, Bianchi-san!" Hana stepped between the bride and her target with her arms spread open.

"You're a married woman as of today! Men from your past shouldn't matter to you anymore!

"Get out of my way!"

"No Bianchi-san! That's not fair!"

"Hana, Bianchi-chan! Please calm down!" Kyoko pleaded.

"Hahi! The Missus is getting passionate!"

"Things are getting really EXTREME!"

"Bianchi." Ashlynn put a hand on her shoulder and carefully took the dishes from her hands. "Remember this is a test to see what obstacles you can overcome to prove that you can be a great wife."

"Is it really? It's only a test to what sort of wife I am? To see if I'm worthy?"

Ashlynn nodded and gave the poisoned dishes for one of the waiter's to dispose of as Keiko brought the woman back to her chair while she caught Hana from stumbling away from the now present five year old Lambo.

Keiko smoothed her friend's hair. "Yes. Try to keep a level head, dear."

"A level head?..A level head?" Bianchi screeched finally at the end of her fuse and she pulled away from her culinary friend and picked up the fake Reborn by the back of his suit. "No! No more! Because this is not the Reborn that I know! I WILL NOT STAND FOR ANY MORE OF THIS BULLSHIT! NO MORE! IT'S OVER!"

"HIIIIIIE! Dino-san! Bianchi's lost control! Everything is turning into poison cooking! If we don't get everyone out they'll be poisoned!" Tsuna screeched inching away from the now poisonous floor and the now flying bits of poisonous metal that used to be the Reborn doll.

Bianchi stalked forward her hair flying in her rage and pointed angrily at the two Bosses. "You! You knew the entire time didn't you! YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW THAT THIS WAS NOT REBORN! AHH!"

Bianchi stumbled back from a bullet that had been shot just centimeters from her face. She turned with fiery eyes to the double doors of the reception room and froze in shock at the smirking baby in the dark suit.

"That's the ultimate dish in poison cooking: 'The Thousand Poison and red variety poison~! You finally did it. Congratulations."

"Reborn!" Tsuna crashed forward with Dino and Ashlynn stepping sedately behind him. "Where on Earth have you been this entire time! What were you doing while all of this was going on! We were almost killed!"

"Reborn? Reborn! It really is you!" Bianchi cried.

Reborn nodded and pulled a ring out of his suit pocket and tossed it to Bianchi. "I had to go and get this."

"Wow!" The woman crooned. "It's so lovely! Thank you~!"

"Was it okay to leave to get a ring on your wedding day?" Ashlynn asked the hitman.

"Don't misunderstand. That's a weapon that shoots out piano wire."

Tsuna covered his face with his hands. "So this entire fiasco...this wedding...?"

"Fnn. It doesn't count."

"You're right Reborn." Bianchi turned while lovingly putting on the ring. "I have learned from today's obstacles that I'm not quite ready to be your bride. I hope you can forgive me."

Dino sighed running a hand though his hair. "You have got to be kidding me~."

Reborn smirked.

Instead of a happily wedded bride and groom the wedding only resulted in a large increase of Bianchi's powers and a ruined reception hall that forwarded the bill between the two worn out Bosses.

* * *

><p>Only a few days after the 'wedding filler disaster' as Ashlynn preferred to call it, had finished all the housework needed and since it had now turned over to summer break she had a little more time to do things. Things such as trying to think of ways that she could consciously use her dying will to create sparks and hopefully during the process gain some sort of resistance to those shocks.<p>

Which was the reason why she was crouched on her feet glaring at one of the electrical sockets in her apartment trying to muster up the courage to actually stick her fingers in and see what she could work with. Stupid conscious knowing that it's going to hurt. She reached for the socket again and before anything could possibly happen she pulled away with a curse at her blatant reluctance. She shook her head. No, there would be no room for any sort of cowardice. This was something that needed to be tested no matter how nervous it made her. Ashlynn reached for the socket again.

Dammit!

Ashlynn angrily glared at the socket took a deep breath and shoved her fingers at the the socket, yelped at the shock and fell over onto her back holding onto her tingling hand. "Oooooow! Shit, that hurt~!"

She looked at her fingers and sighed. If this was what she could expect, then man this training was going to suck fuzzy nuts. Ashlynn sighed. Perhaps she was going about it wrong? Moments after soothing her poor digits she realized that she had just stuck her fingers in without any thought of her flame. Which meant she was going to have to try again.

She crouched and glared at the socket again and wondered if this counted as fighting with an inanimate object. Electricity could be counted as animate, right?

'Soooo...yeah, I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to be doing. Do I just keep shocking myself till I go numb and that will allow me to build resistance? ...Suppose I should visualize sparks or something? Or go with another approach by wearing wool socks and sliding my feet against carpet, buy one of the trick bubblegum packs, or maybe rub a balloon against my hair...' Ashlynn huffed and closed her eyes and tried the second option to imagine being surrounded and filled with a green aura then started to add sparks to that aura. When she was sure she could keep the image she peeked her eyes open and moved her fingers towards the socket. To her surprise there was a pale green shock before she had even come close to touching the indented prongs.

"Alright then. Sparking aura it is, then we'll go onto a balloon followed by socks sliding against carpet."

Ashlynn brought back the image of the aura and sparks connecting her to the electrical socket, reached again and she was once more surprised when there really was sparks connecting her to the outlet. She smirked in triumph and then after a moments inspiration she attempted to pull the a bit of the sparks away so she could try holding it in her hand. It was like pulling melted cheese out of a mozzarella stick. Ashlynn giggled in glee at the thought and pulled a little more and severed the piece from the wall.

And then the power went out.

"...Oops.."

Ashlynn didn't get up yet even though the ceiling light in the living room shut off. She looked at the tiny sparks that she had pulled into her palm. They were giving off a sensation that numbed and tingled her skin at the same time. Kinda like when your foot falls asleep and then moments later it becomes a sharp tingling. She squished a bolt between her thumb and forefinger then between the thumb and middle finger and then snapped her fingers with the little spark. It banged then what was left of the spark fell onto her bare toes.

"Fuck!" Ashlynn jumped grabbing onto her foot and hopped away from the wall and fell over the back of the couch and onto the floor nearly missing the low table.

Ashlynn sighed massaging her toes as the light flickered back to life. Perhaps she should have given the 'experiment' more thought. She shook her head before standing up to rummage through one of the draws in the kitchen for a small pack of leftover balloons.

She blew one up the angled her hand so she could see the the balloon draw out her hair into frizz. She imagined her fingers covered in green sparks and happily created a green spark of lighting from her hair and the balloon. She played with the bolt again before grabbing and holding up a stray piece of paper and snapped her fingers at the tip of the page.

The bolt cracked and charred the tip of the page.

"So you're having some success I see."

Ashlynn yelped and turned her head to the hitman that she hadn't heard enter through the door or make a sound when he came to the kitchen. He had a pleased smirk on his face as he scrutinized the paper she had shocked.

"Reborn. How long have you been here?"

"Since you first started glaring at the electrical socket."

"So about the whole morning then, huh? Wonderful~. What is everyone else up to?"

"Fnn. Kyoko is going to help Tsuna with an essay while we meet with a weapon tuner from the Vongola."

"Eh? A weapon tuner?" Ashlynn made the motion to look down to the jade bracelets that rested on her wrists. "Hmm, I don't know about that~. I'm still getting used to these as they are."

"Perhaps. But you can still see what the weapon tuner will do for everyone else's weapons. Meet you there."

"Sure thing." Ashlynn watched as Reborn left her home and shook her head with a smile. She was sure that Reborn now had some sort of fort somewhere within the complex. She slipped on her shoes and made her way over to Tsuna's to see the weapon tuner. She, of course, knew that the tuning would actually make the weapons useless so tactfully declined the offer to have her weapon upgrade; or rather downgraded.

She met Kyoko right in front of the house before entering and the two could hear Tsuna yelling for whoever was upstairs could use his room and not to come down.

"Oh!" Tsuna stepped down from the steps. "Ashlynn's here too? Hi."

Kyoko smiled. "We met just outside. She is our upperclassmen so maybe she could help a little bit?"

"Really?"

Ashlynn shrugged. "That's alright with me."

"O-okay! Then we'll do the work in the kitchen. I found one of my old essays when I was a kid, so I guess we can work off of that..."

"Really?" Kyoko giggled. "From what year? May I see it?"

"Oh, um, It's really nothing special actually. The assignment was just to say what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was from when I was in the second grade." Tsuna handed the old page to her as they sat down at the kitchen table.

Kyoko unfolded the pieces and began to read the page out loud. " 'My nickname is Useless Tsuna..."

Ashlynn winced. 'Poor kid, even calling himself that in the second grade. He wouldn't have been much older than Birdy is right now at that point.'

" 'But my mom says," Kyoko continued. "That even though I'm useless now, she said that people can change. I think so too. So I wanna be a giant robot when I grow up.' Hee hee! Tsuna-kun, that's so cute!"

"J-Juudaime!" Gokudera sobbed from the doorway hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. "Juudaime, that was so...touching! So inspiring! It touched my heart! To want to be gigantic..!"

"G-Gokudera-kun! Why are you here! Ahh, I thought I told you guys to stay upstairs I thought you were talking to Giannini!"

Gokudera rubbed away any traces of manly devoted tears. "I wanted to show Juudaime my newly modified weapon! Come one!"

'Oh no!' Tsuna panicked. 'This is the worst thing that could happen! Gokudera please not in front of Kyoko-chan!'

"I haven't seen the improvements yet so it will be a surprise for the both of us! Ready?" Gokudera opened the sliding glass door.

'Oh, you'll be surprised alright.' Ashlynn stood up from her seat to get a good look with Kyoko right next to her.

"No! Wait Gokudera-kun!"

"Huwah! Behold my new dynamite!" Gokudera tossed the lighted fuses into the air. It exploded in a shower of ribbons, confetti, balloons that floated away, and a few doves that cooed as they took flight.

Ashlynn and Kyoko clapped at the show as Gokudera and Tsuna stood flabbergasted at the effects of the new dynamite.

Kyoko cheered another time. "Wow! That was fun! Those were lovely party favors, ne Ashlynn-chan?"

"Yeah. Gokudera's a one of a kind magician~." Ashlynn grinned.

Gokudera stormed out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. "Giannini!"

"Ciaossu."

"Hiiiie! Reborn! Why are you coming down here too? Go back to my room!" Tsuna hissed to the hitman.

Reborn aimed his gun at Tsuna's head. 'I wanted you to see the new modified version of the Dying Will Bullet. Die."

"No! Wait! Kyoko-chan's right here! Don't shoot!" Tsuna waved his hands.

Reborn pulled the trigger but instead of Tsuna falling over dead which was expected the bullet plopped weakly out of the barrel of the gun and rolled back and forth on the floor between the two males.

"..."

"..."

"Excuse me while I deal with Giannini." Reborn left the kitchen for the upstairs bedroom.

Moments later a door slammed upstairs and there were sounds of bangs, stomps, and yells coming from the second floor.

'He's, he's really dealing with him!' Tsuna paled.

Kyoko yelped. "What? Tsuna-kun, what is that noise!"

"I'm sure it's nothing! Someone probably knocked something over upstairs! I'll go check up on them to see if everyone is okay. You stay with Ashlynn alright? I'll be right back!" Tsuna forced a laugh before rushing out of the room.

Kyoko sighed. "I hope they're all okay. That really scared me."

"They're boys. It's kinda expected that they rough house every now and then." Ashlynn fibbed. There was another yell coming from the second floor. "Hmm? That sounds like Lambo...They better be taking his small size into account if they're going to let them play."

Kyoko waved her hand. "They may have brought Tsuna into their game. Why don't you go check? We still have some work to do down here. I'll start on my own essay while I wait."

"Alright then." Ashlynn left and jogged up the steps and opened Tsuna's door. Inside the room the walls were covered in weapons and the floor with bombs, maces and tools and in the middle was a small hovercraft with a beat up man inside working the controls to keep in the air while he was surrounded by displease Reborn and Gokudera, and Tsuna and Lambo. Gokudera smacked the boy on the top of his head making the Bovino cry and pull out the Ten Year Bazooka.

"Gokudera-kun! Please stop that!...Oh no, Giannini-san, you didn't...?" Tsuna trailed off as the Lambo turned the bazooka around to aim at himself.

"Of course." The man replied. "I modified it as well."

Tsuna's eyes widened and leaped for the bazooka. "Lambo wait! Don't shoot! Stop!"

"Um, guys?" Ashlynn called.

Lambo ignored them all and pulled the trigger and missed shooting himself and hit Ashlynn behind him. The bazooka sparked a bit and with a yell Lambo pulled the trigger for another shot but Tsuna pulled it away from his face again and it shot across the room.

Tsuna coughed waving his hand to rid of the smoke and called after the escaping Bovino child. "Lambo! When I tell you not to shoot, don't shoot!"

"Che, some 'modifications'. I'm never going to trust you with my weapons ever again!"

Tsuna started at the younger voice and his eyes widened as the smoke cleared away from where Gokudera was sitting and in his place was a shrunken version of him. And it became clear that Gokudera had no idea that anything was possibly wrong.

The small Gokudera looked at Reborn right next to him. Both were at eye level. "Oh? Reborn-san?"

"Yes?"

Gokudera smiled. "I feel closer to you now."

"Same." Reborn smirked.

"Woah!" Gokudera exclaimed when he looked up to Tsuna. "Juudaime! You've become gigantic! You've accomplished your dream from your childhood! Is this what they mean by an aura? You seem to be so much taller than before, Juudaime!"

Tsuna gaped. 'I think you're misunderstanding! And you haven't realized that you've shrunk!'

"I'll be going now Juudaime! I look forward to hearing your essay tomorrow at school! And- huh? Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"Eh?" Tsuna turned to see what Gokudera was looking at and saw a little girl in a light blue sundress with familiar honey brown pulled up into two curly pigtails at the top of her head clutching a porcelain doll with dark brown hair and a red dress. The little girl shrank in on herself when Gokudera pointed at her then moved closer to where she was standing.

Tsuna's eyes widened. "A-Ashlynn?"

The girl's dark eyes caught his and she slowly nodded while trying to inch away from Gokudera and keeping clear of the sharp weapons hung on the walls and the explosives on the floor.

"Huh, I almost didn't recognize you Ashlynn. You changed the way you styled your hair; it's nice. Well, I'll be on my way Juudaime! See ya!" Gokudera nodded then let himself out of the room. They could hear as Gokudera hopped down the steps. "Ha! Hoh! Hye! Wow, Juudaime's house got bigger too!"

Tsuna sighed forlornly. "He, he still hasn't realized that he's been shrunk. Hey, Ashlynn? Are you okay?"

The girl froze when she heard her name and looked at Tsuna and tilted her head in confusion. "...?"

Tsuna stared back almost as confused. "How come you're not saying anything? Is something wrong?"

"Fnn, it seems that the Ten Year Bazooka hit Ashlynn first and switched her with her younger self, then the effects changed before Gokudera was hit so he was shrunk down to be certain but keeps his present state of mind. I assume that at this age she doesn't know any Japanese. Giannini, you will fix this."

"Y-yes, Reborn."

"Wah~! How cute!"

"Oh! That was Kyoko-chan's voice!" Tsuna offered his hand to the little Ashlynn and gave a hesitant smile and hoped that was friendly to the girl.

"Let's go downstairs, okay? We'll put your shoes in the cubby next to the door."

"Stupid Tsuna, were not paying attention? She doesn't understand Japanese." Reborn kicked the back of his student's head before looking at the girl and translated what Tsuna had just said. She nodded and took her little flip flops off, handed them to Tsuna and moved to take Tsuna's other hand and allowed him to lead her away from the room with all the pointy weapons and down the stairs. In the hallway Kyoko was crouched in front of the shrunken Gokudera and cooing how cute he was and asked if he was one of Lambo's friends.

"What did you say! Friends with that stupid cow!" Gokudera seethed and brandished his dynamite and the girl. "Don't look down on me, woman! I'll blow you and your stupid brother to smithereens!"

Tsuna let go of the younger Ashlynn's hand and picked up Gokudera and pulled him away from Kyoko. "Hey, wait! Don't do that! C'mon, let's talk over here."

"Uwaah! Wow Juudaime! You're so strong! Oh, and Juudaime! There are some really weird guys hanging from those telephone poles." Gokudera pointed out the window.

"Huh?" Tsuna looked over where he was pointing. "What are you talking about...? I don't see anything..."

Gokudera frowned. "What? You really don't see them? They're wearing green suits!"

"Those are sparrows." Kyoko giggled.

Gokudera glared. "Are you making fun of me? I'll punch you!"

Tsuna put down the struggling Gokudera. 'I can't understand this kiddy Gokudera...what should I do?'

"They mean harm to the Juudaime! But I will remain vigilant and make sure that the Boss remains safe from all harm! Just leave the protecting to me Juudaime! I won't let you down!" Gokudera scowled at the two men hanging from the poles.

"I said there is nothing there!"

"Oh?" Kyoko made a questioning sound in her throat and cooed at the girl peeking over from the edge of the stairs next to Reborn. "And who's this? She's adorable, Tsuna-kun! Is she a relative of yours? And what a pretty doll~."

"Eh? U-um, yeah, a relative. She's extremely shy though."

the younger Ashlynn tilted her head and tugged on Reborn's coat sleeve and pointed out the window. The hitman nodded and murmured a few words to the girl and then motioned to Tsuna. She nodded showing that she understood.

"You're very good with children, Tsuna-kun and you get along with them very well." Kyoko patted the Gokudera's head.

He moved away from her hand messing with his hair. "What are you doing! Stop it! And don't look down on me! Don't worry, Juudaime! I get it! You don't want to worry the civvie! I'll go take care of those bastards myself!"

"Hey! No, you can't!" Tsuna pulled him back. 'This is really bad! If I let Gokudera-kun run out the way he is, who knows what will happen!'

"Hey guys!" The door opened and Yamamoto walked in and slipped off his shoes. "Are you done with that essay assignment? The guys in my group sent me over to see how you were doing. Oh? Not working upstairs today?"

"No. No, my room's...too crowded to work in there today..."

Gokudera pointed angrily at the baseball player. "If you have free time, then go take care of the enemies that are watching Juudaime's house! You baseball Idiot!"

"Oh, Gokudera! You're here too?" Yamamoto grinned stuffing his hands into his pockets.

'Yamamoto doesn't realize anything is different with him!' Tsuna sighed relieved that Kyoko hadn't heard Yamamoto call Gokudera-kun by his name because she was trying to coax the younger Ashlynn away from the stairs. But still, he whispered to Yamamoto. "It's not really Gokudera-kun. It's one of his cousins that really looks up to him. Don't you think he's really short?"

"Hm?" Yamamoto laughed picking up a struggling Gokudera. "Hahahaha~ That's true when you look really close, Tsuna. He kinda gives off the feeling that Gokudera does!"

"Hey! You bastard! Let go of me! I'll kill you!... Dammit! Why can't I hit him!" Gokudera squalled waving his arms trying to hit the other boy.

Yamamoto only laughed. "What a nice breeze! Haha~!"

"Ehhhh? Where did these kids come from? Lambo-san wants to know~." Lambo hopped into the room.

"L-Lambo!"

Lambo stood in front of Gokudera who had been put down on the floor. "Do they want to become Lambo-san's new followers? Gyahaha! This one's hair is lame~!"

"Lambo knock it off." Tsuna warned.

"Ehehe. You're ignoring the great Lambo-san? Then Lambo-san will teach you a lesson." Lambo spat a loogie into his hand and moved to wipe it on Gokudera. "Haaaaah~. Watch me as I beat you up!"

Gokudera kicked him into the living room. "Buzz off. I don't have time for you. Psh...! Shit! When did they get in!" He pulled out a set of dynamite. "Juudaime, we've been invaded!"

"Hey kid, you shouldn't try to copy Gokudera." Yamamoto picked him up again.

Gokudera snarled and pointed at the men that had broken into the house. "What are you doing! Baseball Freak! Can't you see them at all!"

Yamamoto kept him at arm's length. "Now, now, don't go pointing those little legs at me."

"What did you just say! Short Legs! Eh! What! I'VE BECOME SMALL! W-what is this...? A body that's so weak and soft...How can I protect the Juudaime while I'm in this state!...UGH...Oh No! Juudaime!"

"G-Gokudera-kun?"

"Ahhhh! That's it!" Gokudera lit the dynamite in his possession and threw them at the man he saw hanging from the ceiling just behind Tsuna.

Tsuna waved his hands. "Wait! Don't do that in here!"

The dynamite once again exploded in a shower of ribbons, balloons, confetti, and doves. Gokudera swore. "Crap! I forgot about that!"

Kyoko clapped. "Haha! I like these party favors!"

No one save Reborn noticed that the younger Ashlynn frowned before she slunk away from the room as Gokudera struggled out of Yamamoto's grip yelling that there was danger.

Gokudera froze as an idea came to mind. He looked over to Yamamoto and grinned. "Hey, teach me how to catch, will you? You have a ball with you right?"

Yamamoto laughed and let Gokudera down again. "You want me to play with you? Sure thing! Where are we going to play?"

"Right here." Gokudera stood right behind Tsuna.

Tsuna gaped. "W-what! What are you doing? Don't play ball in the house!"

"Come on Yamamoto!" Gokudera yelled. "Throw it over here! Juudaime is in the middle!"

"Ha! No problem!" Yamamoto's eyes glinted as he threw the ball hard just above Tsuna and opened his mouth in shock as it hit something just above Tsuna instead going over and passed him and the sound of someone crying out from being it. A person in a green body suit crashed onto the floor rubbing his head. Tsuna gasped.

"N-no way! How did you know!" The man groaned.

"Got him!" Gokudera cheered. "Now the other one!"

Tsuna yelled. "What is going on here! Hiiiie! A-Ashlynn! What are you doing!"

The younger Ashlynn tore into the room with her doll in one hand and a cast iron pan in the other. She ran up onto the couch, a step on the wall, turned and with all her childlike strength swatted something next to the window. Another man now visible in the green body suit, shorter than the first, fell to the ground where Ashlynn knocked him on the head again with the frying pan.

Gokudera cheered again. "Good job, Ashlynn! You got him!"

"What on Earth is going on!" Tsuna cried. "Who-who are these people! How did they get inside the house!"

The shorter man cursed. "The impact broke the camo suits! Damn it!"

"Fnn, good job you two." Reborn stepped forward.

The taller man sputtered. "It's Reborn! The Vongola's top assassin!"

"You two were the people hiding in the electric pole."

"What!" The shorter man yelled. "How did you know!"

Reborn smirked as Gokudera and Ashlynn stepped next to him and I-pin peeked over from behind him. "Children can see you. I-pin saw you earlier this morning when she went out on an errand. Gokudera, shrunk to the age of five was able to spot you, and Ashlynn by the effects of the modified Ten Year Bazooka was able to see you as well."

"But that's impossible! No one should have been able to see us while in these suits!" The taller man argued not believing them.

"I believe..." Giannini explained operating his hovercraft into the room. "That it was designed so that children are able to spot you."

"No doubt designed by your Boss." Reborn crossed his arms.

"What? Special suits?" Yamamoto asked.

Kyoko smiled. "That sounds cool!"

"Fnn, your Boss is the Arcobaleno with the green pacifier - Verde, right?" Reborn smirked as the men flinched. "Verde believes that if he was unable to see through the camouflage, his subordinates would eventually try to betray him. That's why he made it so people under a certain age can see it."

The taller man swore. "Then the assassination was a failure from the get-go..."

"What!" Tsuna screamed. "You guys are assassins!"

"That's right! Since we've already been discovered! We'll just kill the Juudaime directly!" Both men pulled out pistols.

"Hiiiiiiie! For real! Reborn! Help!"

Reborn shook his head. "I can't do anything about it right now. Because of Giannini's modifications all my weapons are useless. See? Even the Dying Will Bullet is dancing." Reborn held out his palm and just like he said the bullet was shaking back and forth and even doing what looked like the worm.

"Dammit!" Gokudera rushed forward with his dynamite with Ashlynn and I-pin right behind him. All three were kicked back by the taller man as he and his partner pointed their guns at his head.

"It's over Vongola Juudaime!"

At that moment, Tsuna began to regret. If Giannini hadn't made any modifications then wouldn't he have tried to defeat the two with his dying will? He would have saved everyone from the men that may have turned on them after they shot him. No one would be hurt if he could fight back against the attackers.

"Oh?" Reborn looked down at the bullet as it froze shot out of his hand towards Tsuna. "It seems that it was modified so that it automatically reacts to Tsuna's Dying Will."

"REBORN! Defeat my enemies as if I were to die!"

"Bastard! Die!" The men shot at him.

They were drop kicked as Tsuna dodged the bullets flying at him, then he knocked them off of their feet with a sharp uppercut before grabbing onto the back of their suits and throwing them out of the house. "Take That! Do you admit defeat!"

"Fnn. Send my regards to Verde."

Tsuna sighed as the flame on his brow disappeared and jumped when Yamamoto and Kyoko congratulated him.

"That was really cool, Tsuna! You managed to get rid of those thieves!" Yamamoto grinned.

Kyoko smiled. "That was amazing, Tsuna-kun! You were very brave~!"

"Ah...credit for this isn't mine. It's his." Tsuna pointed at a bashful Gokudera. "...Um...I'm going to change...Excuse me!"

Kyoko stayed over until she and Tsuna finished their assignments and she waved goodbye to Gokudera and the younger Ashlynn. Poor Gokudera was hitting the ground in anger with Ashlynn watching from where she was sitting between Tsuna and Reborn across from Yamamoto.

"Why haven't we changed back yet! This is all Giannini's and that stupid, dumb cow's fault!"

It wouldn't be another few hours before the effects of the modified bazooka wore off.

* * *

><p>The first thing Ashlynn noticed when the pink smoke disappeared and allowed her to see where she was, was that she was no longer 'animated' and that she was in a park that she didn't recognize. She didn't see anyone nearby except for a boy who looked to be ten who was swinging on the swing set with his back to her, so she decided to wander around until the effects of the bazooka brought her back where she was supposed to be.<p>

She walked around the jungle gym and over to the swings and wondered if she had ever been to this place before. She didn't remember it if she had. She sat two swings away from the boy and swung in the opposite direction that he was swinging.

"Hi."

Ashlynn looked over to the boy and gasped when she saw his face. It was the image of what she had seen in many pictures. She jumped a little when he looked at her weirdly and asked what was wrong.

"Nothing, the sun just reflected off that sign over there. Blinded me for a second."

He nodded. "That's why I'm swinging this way so the sun's not in my eyes. My name's Flaithri. What's yours?" The boy, Flaithri, her big brother asked her.

"...My name's Lynn." Ashlynn told him while she turned around to face the opposite direction.

"Really? That's the ending of my sister's name. She's called Ashlynn."

Ashlynn kicked her feet to go higher. "That's a pretty name."

"Yeah. She'll probably come out here to play if she isn't inside playing with her doll or following Máthair around the house or sneaking out to the fort that we made by the river to throw rocks in the water for the last time before we're busy packing to move."

"You're moving out of town?"

"Yep. Athair says it's time for some more space since my youngest sister is getting bigger, she's two years old and her name's Norene by the way, and I heard that we might have a relative coming to stay with us for a while but I don't know which one is coming over when we move to Virden."

"Mmmm."

"Where are you from Lynn?"

"..Japan."

"Really? where is that? Is that in this state?"

Ashlynn laughed. "Nope. It's out of the country and halfway across the world. I'm only here for a while before I have to leave town and meet my friends before going home."

"Halfway across the world? Really? That far away?"

"Really."

"That's so cool!"

Ashlynn smiled and listened as her brother talked about everyone and everything. It made her heart feel warm when he talked of how he adored his baby sisters and more about the move the family would be making soon. He told her about school and his friends that he was going to miss but Athair had said that he could still talk to them and that he'd make more friends at the new school he was going to be enrolled at. Flaithri also asked a lot of questions about her own family and she caught the irony of describing her brother to her brother. While this was going on they had jumped off the swings and played around the jungle gym, climbing onto the nearby trees, and spinning on the whirl-around before he led her to the fort by the river where they skipped rocks.

They both looked up when they heard a loud whistle and Flaithri grinned. "That's Máthair's whistle so it's time to go in now. Thanks for playing with me."

"No problem, Flaithri. It's about time that I head off too."

"Will you be around town or by Virden?"

"Probably not." Ashlynn sighed.

"Okay then. Céad slán, Lynn. It mean's fare-"

"I know. Beidh mé ag chailleann tú, Flaithri."

Flaithri smiled and ran off for home leaving Ashlynn watching as he went with a wistful smile. She'd walk back towards the park so when she switched back her younger self wouldn't have to go too far to get home. She slowly walked back towards the park and sat back on one of the swings. She smiled again as she was surrounded by a plume of pink smoke and switched back.

Ashlynn blinked twice as she waved away the smoke and found herself back in the anime with Tsuna asking where she went and if everything was okay.

She shrugged. "I had a pretty good time playing with my younger big brother. It was a shock to see him but I was able to play it off because the sun was in my eyes."

"What?"

"Dame-Tsuna she was switched with her younger self. Obviously she went to the past instead of the future and it was longer than five minutes. It was rather smart of you Ashlynn to decline the modifications. Otherwise you'd end up with some kind of useless party favor."

Giannini hung his head. "I'm sorry."

His apologies were ignored.

Ashlynn grinned. "I hope my younger self wasn't too much trouble for you guys. I don't remember too much from before the age of four or five but Mathair used to tell me that I could be quite the terror. That and I was a climber."

"Not too much trouble from the little warrior." Reborn smirked.

Ashlynn stared. " 'Little warrior'?"

"Tsuna was nearly killed a few times today but the attempts were foiled thanks to you and Gokudera who was also under an effect from the bazooka." Reborn told her. "Even as a child you charged in to save your Boss in a dress wielding nothing but your doll and a frying pan. Aren't you lucky to have such loyal subordinates, Tsuna?"

"They're not my subordinates!"

* * *

><p>~Good news!~~ Next chapter is the start of the Mukuro Arc~ Though I had ended up skipping a good many chapters of the manga to get to it (ex. The pool, the beach, summer festival, Haru's suspicion, dare of courage). I haven't butted them out for good, I just want to get a move on and every once in a while I'll add in a filler scene or two if it will fit~ I'm still wondering if I should try sticking in Naito Longchamp and the Tomaso Family... But the majority watches the anime and don't really know who Naito is...We shall see later on where the story shall take us~<p>

~Also thinking if I should add in Haru's HaruHaru interview. I know that I want to do at least one. Perhaps those will be a sort of omake? Also want to try my hand at the 'Monster Tamer Tsuna' side story..

~Hmmmmm

-"Bunkun-takashimada: The traditional Japanese woman's hairstyle, worn by brides in modern times. Basically the whole Japanese traditional of wearing kimono and all that good stuff that they do~

-Evivva gli sposi: meaning "Hurray for the newlyweds!" in Italian. It is a popular custom, usually made by a male guest will toast after a few glasses of wine and guests respond with applause. This toast is also shouted whenever the mood is starting to droop in the celebration, renewing spirits and enthusiasm.

- -Máthair- 'Mother' in Gaelic

- -Athair- 'Father' in Gaelic

- -Céad slán - 'Farewell' in Gaelic

- -Beidh mé ag chailleann tú - 'I shall miss you' in Gaelic


	14. Chapter 14

**Yay~ Time for Mukuro's appearance! Such an interesting character! And this chapter is meaning some real serious business!**

Geez, had I left the previous version as it was then this chapter would actually be in the twenties instead of the teens.

And in other news, I'm playing with the original sketch that I have for Ashlynn (Though I think I made her too pretty. Not that that's bad or anything~). You can expect it uploaded within the next week or so on Ashlynn's character Bio on Deviant Art (There is a link to that page on my profile). I will announce when it has been uploaded~.

~My Reviewers are so sweet to me. They're practically writing me essays and making me blush when I read them~

**LunaticSheep**: ...holy crap~ I can't believe you guessed it...I seriously wasn't expecting anyone other than my Beta knowing that until well after the Future Arc and you called it with only a few vague offhand comments.

Yes, no need to worry. I am not going to end the fic at the end of the Future Arc. Definitely going on to the Shimon and Arcobaleno Arcs [Which are amazing by the way]. And as for taking Lambo's place as Guardian, yes she will. Although he is an assassin, albeit a loud and clumsy one, he is still a very, very young and naive child that shouldn't be going against a man more than four times his age in a battle to the death. So when it's time for the Ring battles (just a few chapters away) Ashlynn will be chosen over Lambo. It's alright to try to guess what is going to happen in the future; sometimes you'll be spot on and sometimes I'll think it's a great idea and I'll fit it in~ And you can be sure the little tidbit about working with Verde is a good one~ Thank you~ :D

Sorry for the delay and I Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween~

* * *

><p><strong>In a battle all you need to make you fight is a little hot blood and the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win.<strong>

**- George Bernard Shaw**

* * *

><p>There was a perfectly reasonable explanation why she went to school armed with weapons hidden on her person and wearing the lovely arm guards that Lussuria had given her. Along with having the dagger Hibari gave her strapped to the back of her bra beneath her uniform and having the pistol and it's holster stashed in her bag until the end of the day. All that plus her jade chakram bracelets, the four small chakram bangles on her wrists, along with the two crystal bracelets that she bought with Ran during last years summer festival.<p>

Yes, Ashlynn found it was perfectly reasonable to be prepared for the days events. The reason? The rumored accounts of someone attacking the prefects of Namimori along with a few of the Junior high students and sending them to the hospital. Which could only mean one thing.

Mukuro was in town looking for Tsuna by fighting through the list of the strongest Junior high students.

Ashlynn's leg bounced as she tapped her pencil on her desk and kept looking at the clock on the wall waiting for the day to freaking end already. She hadn't planned on actually going to school this morning in favor of going with Tsuna to go see Ryohei who would no doubt be hospitalized from fighting Ken late last night or early on his morning training run since Reborn had told them to take the morning for individual training.

But before she could find Tsuna she had run into Hibari who had just seen them...

"You're going after the one responsible." A statement since she really didn't bother asking the obvious.

"Hmph, of course. This person is encroaching the order of Namimori and has attacked those affiliated with me and Namimori Junior High. And as of this morning there are at least two hostages. The one in charge and any associating with him will be bitten to death."

Hibari threw a red cloth in her face and she grabbed onto it before it fell to the ground. Like the band around his arm except the one in her hands had the kanji for 'Outside Deputy, Omnivore'. She looked up and noticed that he was walking away and jogged to catch up with him. "Why give this to me?"

"You will keep an eye on Namimori High School for any suspicious characters."

"Aa." Ashlynn rummaged through her bag for a safety pin to secure the red cloth.

Hibari nodded. "I have found that the attackers are from Kokuyo Jr. High thanks to the loud boxer."

"Ryohei. You said two hostages; do you know their identities?"

"Sawada Fuuta and Cross Suzume."

A snarl tore out of her lips before she could help it. "You're sure about that? Birdy got permission to go on a school trip for the last three days and is supposed to be back tomorrow. Are you telling me that that was fake? Shit~! Hibari-san, I'm going with you."

Hibari halted and stared her down. "No, the Elementary trip was scheduled before the summer break. The leader of these mischief makers no doubt took advantage of it and took another hostage. You will see to the high school while I am gone. This is non-negotiable, Omnivore."

"Bullshit! I'm go-!"

Ashlynn's back hit the wall behind her and a tonfa was smashed against the wall next to her head while his other arm caught her shoulder and his leg between hers kept her in place. Hibari glared. "Do not make me repeat myself, Omnivore."

Ashlynn glared back but the boy didn't pull back. And she knew very well that he wouldn't until she gave in. But that didn't mean she'd like it or make it easy. "...Fine. But if you're not back by the end of the school day then I'm coming in after you."

"...That is acceptable but not needed. Go to school Omnivore Ashlynn." Hibari released her and continued on down the road.

Ashlynn watched grimly as Hibari walked on towards Kokuyo knowing that it indeed was needed especially if he had been stung by one of Shamal's mosquitoes. So she ended up going to school and it seemed her class was caught between being annoyed by her nervous tapping and fear because of the red armband pinned to her uniform.

"A-Ashlynn...? Why are wearing that on your arm? And...why does it say 'Outside Deputy,Omnivore'?" Ran asked nervously.

Ashlynn looked down at her arm to the red armband safety-pinned around the short sleeve of her uniform. She gave a mental sigh. She knew that there would be a lot of questions pointed her way because of it. And now Ran was asking and waiting for an answer along with the rest of the class, judging by the sudden silence, as they waited for Morooka-sensei to come in and start class.

"...Hibari-san threw it at me earlier this morning and demanded that I keep a look out for anyone who appeared to be suspicious around the school. I'll be reporting to him the second I get out of here."

"But why? Why w-would he do that?" Ran wondered.

Ashlynn sighed aloud this time."...Hibari-san and I...have a sort of accord with each other, an unspoken agreement if you will, which is perhaps his reason for giving me the red armband of leadership. I guess 'Omnivore' is fitting since that is what he calls me. I think there was only one time he's ever addressed me by my name but he added in Omnivore like it was a title."

"...And how did you come to an...accord?"

"He's a very important patron at Fukano's and the reason why we stock so much shortbread and coconut juice. Out of all the current employees that work there I am the only one save for Boss Lady who can walk away from the encounter unscathed so I am the one that he goes to for it even though I work in the back room. Basically, I spend a lot of time in his presence and he doesn't mind me or perceive me as a major threat to him or Namimori."

"I don't think you should have worn it let alone taken it, Ashlynn."

"Oh?"

"You haven't heard? A bunch of the prefects have been sent to the hospital and a couple of the junior high students as well. If those attackers see you wearing that you might end up as a target too even if it doesn't say 'prefect' on it. I think you should take it off. Everyone here knows you have it now so you don't have to show it while you're here."

"Perhaps. But even now as we speak Hibari-san went after the one who is responsible for this mess."

Ran smiled relieved. "He did? ...Then you should be fine then if Hibari-san is taking care of it. So I guess you'll be okay wearing that then. Question: Why does he call you 'Omnivore'?"

"I've wondered that too sometimes. I guess it's because I spend a lot of time with him. I've evolved from a herbivore to an Omnivore by being around him, a carnivore. That's the best explanation that I can think of...though it makes me seem like a Pokemon..."

"I bet the only way he'll see you as a carnivore is if you start biting people to death."

Ashlynn nodded and returned to her impatient nervous tapping, annoying Morooka-sensei to the end of his fuse and looked like he was about to throw her out by the veins on his face. She still continued tapping. By now she was sure that Tsuna was going to find Gokudera fighting Chikusa and the Yamamoto would save them...she grumbled. Sometimes she wanted to write down the series of events of each episode so she could remember everything that was supposed to happen. But there was just too much of a risk that someone could come across them and use them against the family and she couldn't afford for that to happen.

Wait a second...maybe if she annoyed Morooka-sensei and he threw her out...she could get a move on to Kokuyo center and find Hibari. And according to a map she had seen a while ago, it would take awhile to get there on foot. Damn, Hibari probably planned it that way...

Ashlynn started clicking her tongue loudly despite Ran's frantic glances her way and the looks of fear from the other students. She ignored them in favor of glancing at the clock again and started to tap on her binder, kick the leg of her desk and click her tongue every three seconds and continued the patter until Morooka-sensei's face turned an odd shade of red in frustration.

"That's it! Get the Fuck out of my class you little shit! Obviously you have something much better to do than focus on your education! Get out!" Morooka yelled throwing the eraser in his hands to the floor. Ashlynn didn't waste time shoving everything into her bag and rushed out of the room before anyone could stop her from doing otherwise. She made a quick detour to the locker room to drop off her bag after strapping the gun to her thigh and the sharp chakram bracelets that had previously been hidden in on of the pockets. Once sure she had everything accounted for that she needed and the rest laying locked up in her locker, Ashlynn booked it out of the school and towards Kokuyo Land Center.

Ashlynn ducked behind a low billboard as she crept closer to the run down premise and spied Tsuna along with Reborn Bianchi, Gokudera, and Yamamoto. Reborn turned her way and she nodded and made a motion to indicate that she would go around the back while they entered through the front gate. Reborn nodded before he leaped to sit on Yamamoto's shoulders and they moved in. Ashlynn silently counted back from twenty before jogging along the uneven ground alongside of the surrounding walls keeping close to the support of the wall so she wouldn't slide down the hill to the trees below.

"Welly, well, well, well. Looky what we found creeping around~."

Ashlynn froze and looked up at the wall and saw the silhouette of two figures and quickly moved out of the way as they jumped down from their perch.

"You seemed so shocked~. Did you really expect that no one would notice your presence while the other group of misfits go straight through the front entrance? How stupidly foolish~." The first voice that had spoken scolded her, a stocky tall male with short curly brown hair with olive skin and to her slight disgust he wore large gauges that showed a gaping hole through the slightly hanging ears. He reached behind him and pulled out of his green Kokuyo uniform two throwing axes.

The woman with him giggled hanging off his arm with a chain whip in her other hand as she flicked her head to move one of the many shoulder length braids in her dark orange hair out of her face. She too wore the green Kokuyo Junior high uniform. "What do you think, Yann? Shall we cut her to pieces and present her head to Mukuro-sama? I think she'd make such a lovely ornament hanging from the ceiling, don't you think? And I do like those pretty arm guards she's wearing~. Let's get them?"

Ashlynn barely had a moment to blink as the two immediately charged at her and she stumbled down the uneven ground and downhill to the very bottom to more even ground so her footing wouldn't slip while fighting uphill. The man, Yann, the back of her mind helpfully supplied, threw one of the throwing axes where her head should have been before she ducked and sidestepped him releasing the chakram bracelets from the beaded jade form and swung the weapon at the man's back. The hit didn't come as she had to jump back as the woman cracked the chain whip and left a bleeding welt on the back of her legs. Yann stepped in closer and swiped the ax at her stomach cutting into her uniform through the light tank top and a shallow red line appeared across the expanse of her tummy and another shallow slice at her shoulder while the woman moved around out of the way taking the opportunity to land hits with the chains and throwing the wayward axes back to it's rightful owner while Ashlynn was preoccupied with her partner. Thus Ashlynn sustained more injuries than her two smug opponents as her legs looked a bloody mess and the back of her uniform was in near shreds. So far her arms weren't so bad thanks to the armor guarding them. Ashlynn resolved to call Lussuria when this was over to thank him again for them.

Ashlynn cried out as Yann hooked one of the axes into the back of her shoulder and dug the blade into her skin while pulling her forward to slam a knee into her stomach and an elbow dropped her to the ground. He crouched in front of her and wrenched the weapon out of her body then yanked her head up by her hair of her ponytail and crooned to her with a sympathetic expression as if he were comforting a crying child who just had a nightmare. "Is this all the strength you can muster? You know this isn't as fun as I thought it was going to be. Of course you're still going to die but if you can't entertain us then you'll be hurting a lot more than you are now~."

Ashlynn glared.

Yann looked amused. "Your weapons are interesting and you have spirit, I'll give you that but that doesn't help you very much if you won't act on it."

"What are you doing, Yann? Flirting while I'm right over here within sight and hearing distance?" The woman called out with a pout.

"I'd never do that _in front_ of you Sanem, you know that~ Just like you don't with me while I'm in the vicinity." Yann chuckled kicking Ashlynn in the side then walked a few paces back as the woman, Sanem, tossed him an ax he had launched earlier. "C'mon. Get up. See how nice and generous I am? See? Here I am: Giving you a chance to fight back instead of outright killing you while you're down. Get up~. I still want to play~."

Ashlynn huffed and got back on her feet. Yes she was a little grateful he was giving her a fighting chance but the fact that his friend kept giving him back his weapons when he threw them away was really pissing her off. And Sanem didn't stay in one place for too long and if she tried to focus her attention on the orange haired woman then her partner would no doubt push for her complete attention. She needed a way to get rid of Sanem and there were only a few options that might actually work.

Before Yann could taunt her some more she charged in switching one chakram back to its' bracelet form and slipped the smaller one into her fist snapping at her opponent with the metal and her lightning flame which would be the first time she'd ever used it in a combat situation. Yann's eyebrows rose as he felt the shock and grinned.

"There we go~."

She didn't give any reply in return save pulling open a minuscule compartment no larger than her pinkie finger on her weapon and hooked it into the band that held her arm guards to her hand before twirling the larger chakram on her other forearm and sent it soaring up to where Sanem was beginning to stop from jogging.

Sanem jumped over the spinning projectile and giggled placing a hand on her hip not even noticing the fact that the wire was between her legs. "Sorry~! You missed! And now your short one large weapon!"

She only glanced at the giggly woman as she tugged harshly on the wire to bring the chakram spinning back in the direction it came from. She didn't really want to see what would happen if the woman continued to be unaware of her surroundings. Ashlynn grazed the side of Yann's face with the small chakram as she smacked away one of the axes with the larger wheel. He ducked back to keep from having metal lodged into his face and froze with wide eyes as his partner screamed and bawled as Ashlynn's chakram bracelet returned back into her possession and the wire rewinding itself inside the weapon.

"Sanem!" Yann yelled and Ashlynn allowed him to go sprinting up the hill. She decided that, yes, it would not be any help whatsoever to say, 'See? Look how nice I am letting you try to attend to your partner instead of attacking you while you're distracted.' Not a very smart idea to taunt someone who had their partner/supposed girlfriend be crippled in their presence.

Since Sanem had only jumped once over the circular weapon and didn't notice the wire attached to it she obviously didn't see the need to make sure that it couldn't come back in her direction while her back was turned. So like in the fight against Zabuza in 'Naruto' when he has Kakashi trapped in the water ball prison, Sanem had done the same except for dodging the projectile from behind and it had cost her dearly as she screamed for Yann as she tried to do something about the fact that her legs were no longer where they should have been supporting her. The sharp edge of the chakram had sawed right through them leaving Sanem with nothing beneath her thighs but blood spurting from the where the limbs had been cut. She cried yelling for Ashlynn's head as she continued to lose blood faster than Yann could even try to help her. Nothing he seemed to do worked and as Sanem's yelling died down into whimpers he stared Ashlynn down with cold fury. He grabbed Sanem's chain whip on the way down.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Ashlynn staggered as he jumped at her swinging the chain whip slashing welts at her side as the weapon pinched her skin then charged in with the small ax and wildly slashed at her. Ashlynn used her hand with the smaller chakram cutting into his arm as she pulled away the ax and tossed it further down hill and received a punch into her face for the trouble sending her wobbling back. Ashlynn spat out blood and swept at his legs as he charged her again, it hit him but he used the moment while airborne to crack the whip into her back making yet another tear in the sailor uniform. Ashlynn grimaced but didn't bother to look at any of the incisions. She twirled the smaller chakram at his turned back and her eyes narrowed as it barely buried into the man's skin. She had put much more force into that than it was showing for her effort.

"W-What the hell?"

"You'll notice," Yann ground coldly as he cracked the whip at her. "That my body is more durable than the average human being~. Some things just don't hurt as much for me as they would for you."

"How convenient."

"Very. But obviously not for you." They sidestepped each other and move to hit at each other's backs; Ashlynn making more than just a shallow cut across the side of Yann's shoulder and in return received another punch in the face. She hated those because it made her step away with her eyes closed for a moment and that was all Yann needed to swat her large Chakrams away and lifted her up with a hand closed around her neck. Ashlynn froze before clawing with what was left of the smaller chakrams since Yann hadn't pulled them off and kicked in hopes she could get him to release her.

He chuckled darkly as he tightened his grip. "You're death would have been so much more simple if you hadn't come sneaking on the side. Heh, wouldn't even be involved if you hadn't come here. But now I'll make sure that you're death is as slow and excruciatingly painful as possible before I present your bloody head to Mukuro.

Ashlynn's panic came back full force as he tightened his fingers pressed around her neck to where she could see black spots in her vision and her breath was coming out in short spasms. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes.

"Look at you~. Such a pathetic person. You got lucky so far but there will be no one that will come to save you from your end. Hehehe. This will be for you, Sanem."

Ashlynn gasped as one of her hands clawed at the hand around her neck while the other dropped to her thigh.

Yann snickered. "Are you beginning to give up? That's no fun at all. I want you to scream and beg for mercy; not that I'd actually give it to you... !"

Ashlynn tore the pistol out of its holster on her thigh and fired three shots blank range into Yann's face, his blood splattering hers and the front of her uniform. Ashlynn fell to the ground a bloody mess and crawled away with her hand cradling her neck as she gasped for air. It seemed, as she looked at Yann, that while he was supposedly more durable not even he would survive from being shot three times in the face.

With shaking legs Ashlynn stood up and trudged to retrieve her weapons then bring herself back up the hill.

"...Y-Yann...? Is... that you, Yann...?"

Ashlynn looked up from the ground and found that she was coming up to where Sanem was laying crying and shivering. Her dismembered legs were lying right in her way so Ashlynn walked around them as she got closer to Sanem.

"...Yann...h-honey...? Is...she dead...Did you...did you get...her..?...You...you bitch..! You killed him...you killed my Yann...!"

Ashlynn stood over her head and pulled the trigger twice and watched as the woman's glaring eyes lost their life and turned cold and unseeing. She toiled up the hill and emptied her stomach against the wall with tears escaping her eyes. She just killed two people. They...they were going to kill her...but...but...She sniffled and used the wall as a support and continued on towards the largest building she could see in the distance and she just may be able to climb up the side of the rising wall to the roof. She'd rest when she got to the roof. That way she wouldn't have to see two dead corpses in her line of vision.

As the building came closer Ashlynn found it would be much more simple to walk (after she had taken off her shoes to get rid of her socks now soaked in blood and threw them away before slipping her shoes back onto her feet) along the top of the wall instead of staggering up the side of the hill that had quickly turned into a cliff face and after a few moments of vertigo from being do far up wit barely anything that would give her purchase Ashlynn marched on one foot in front of the other until she came to the end of the wall and leaped from the edge of the wall onto the roof o the main building of Kokuyo Center. She stayed there laying on her back on the rooftop no longer than fifteen minutes before going through the doorway that no longer had a a door to the stairs and started checking the top floor for any sign of Fuuta, Birdy, Hibari, and Tsuna's group.

She stopped in place and swore she could hear talking. Were they really on this floor even though in the series that had found Mukuro in the cinema? Was this an illusion?

...No. There was talking again. Ashlynn pressed her ear to the floor and could make out voices but couldn't make any sense of the words. She stood back up and stomped as hard as she could through the flimsy supports of the floor and jumped in through the hole and launched her chakram.

* * *

><p>"Hiiiiiie! What was that!" Tsuna cried. They had just left Yamamoto who was beaten real badly to watch over Lancia's body when they heard three gunshots then a pause before two more shots sounded before the area descended back into silence. Tsuna felt an ominous shiver go down his spine. What if the real Mukuro had attacked the hostages because they had defeated Lancia?<p>

Reborn's face was stony. "Looks like Ashlynn ran into some trouble. Especially if she had to resort to using a gun."

"What! Ashlynn is here too! What is she doing here!" Tsuna yelled worried. "And since when did she have a gun!"

Bianchi answered with an equally stony expression. "Since White Day. Dolly taught how to use and care for it but Ashlynn has quite the aversion to actually using it. To hear shots now; either her opponent had a firearm and shot her or she shot them instead."

"But why isn't she here with us? How come she didn't come through the main entrance?" Tsuna asked. Gokudera and Bianchi shrugged not knowing the answer.

Reborn answered. "She had just caught up when we entered through the front entrance. I believe she waited a minute or so before she started to make her way around to the back. I'd say from the distance from where those shots came from she's a little more than half way before she was stopped. Probably was ambushed."

"That's not too far from here is it? Let's go back and find her! What if she's really hurt?" Tsuna turned back but was stopped by a kick to the back of his head.

There was a shadow over the top half of the hitman's face with only a frown shown. "Ashlynn will meet us when she meets us. We have a more pressing priority with Mukuro. Remember you have a time limit, Tsuna. Let's go."

"But-" Tsuna tried to argue.

Gokudera placed a hand on his Boss' shoulder. "Ashlynn's pretty strong so I wouldn't worry too much, Juudaime. We'll see her soon, I'm sure of that."

"Gokudera-kun...alright. We'll keep going."

They entered the shambled building and checked around on the first floor and found that all the staircases were destroyed and thus impeding on their path.

Bianchi shook her head. "This one is no good either."

"Mukuro is most likely going to be on the upper floors so there should be a working flight of stairs somewhere." Reborn nodded.

"Eh?" Tsuna looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well Tsuna, it's easier to defend the base if he narrows down all possible attack routed, right?" He waited until Tsuna nodded to show he understood. "On the other hand, he's cut off all possible escape routes for himself. He must be very confident in winning."

"Now I'm even more worried..."

"It'll be okay Juudaime! Let's find a working stairs!"

And once again they searched the bottom floor for a way to get to the upper levels of the building. "This one's no good."

"Neither is this one~."

"...another broken one."

"Juudaime! I found one! It's the emergency ladder." Gokudera pointed down the hall they currently were in and they walked over to the only way that would get them up to the second floor. They froze as the sound of whirling caught their ears and when they looked to the left where there was another hallway and standing in the middle of it was Chikusa fiddling with a yo yo. "It's you!" Gokudera stepped forward and threw a pack of bombs into the space between them and the enemy.

"Eh? A smokescreen?" Tsuna asked as smoke clouded everything.

Gokudera stepped forward. "You go on ahead and leave this to me, Juudaime. I'll take care of this guy."

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Hayato wait! Listen to me." Bianchi called. "When you were struck before it was Shamal's trident mosquito that saved your life. The virus he gave you needs time to complete its job. Until then there will be side effects, Hayato. You will suffer painful attacks. Knowing this are you still going to do it?"

Gokudera lit a cigarette. "Goes without saying. It's the reason why I'm here."

"Very well. Let's go Tsuna." Bianchi moved to the ladder with Reborn.

"But-"

"Please go on ahead Boss!" Gokudera grinned. "Once this is over we;ll go have some fun."

"R-right! We'll do that. Please be careful Gokudera-kun." Tsuna gave one last look before climbing up the ladder to join Bianchi and Reborn. 'Gokudera-kun...I don't want to see you hurt...please be careful!'

"Looks like he's not in the bowling alley on the second floor. There's stairs over there so we'll go up to the third floor." Bianchi murmured.

Tsuna nodded. "It should be the cinema next."

They walked on and Tsuna opened the double doors of the cinema auditorium that no longer had the seats but the stage was still intact. It was hard to see a bit since there were only a few lights that were on and possibly the only ones that still actually worked. And on the stage there was a couch with a person in Kokuyo Junior's green uniform sitting in the middle of it with his elbows propped on his knees.

"I'm so glad that we could meet again~." The person greeted. His blue hair was short but styled so there was a tuft of spikes at the top of his head resembling a pineapple. His red and blue mismatched eyes watched them carefully as the door slammed shut behind them.

"Hiiie! It's you! Is this where you were held?" Tsuna yelled then turned his head to explain to Reborn and Bianchi. "Ahh, when we were separated right before we fought Lancia. I found him in the forest. He's a Kokuyo student and one of the hostages."

The boy on the couch smiled. "Come forward slowly if you will. I would like to get to know you better, Tenth Boss of the Vongola Famiglia."

Tsuna paused. 'Eh? But how..how did you know that...?"

"You were deceived Tsuna! That there-" Bianchi scowled.

"That's right." The person looked up. "I am the real Rokudo Mukuro."

"No way!" Tsuna shouted and froze.

"Tsuna-nii."

Tsuna gasped. "Fuuta! Birdy! Are you alright?"

Birdy nodded teary-eyed but neither she or Fuuta moved any closer and Fuuta didn't even respond. "Tsuna-nii."

Bianchi sighed in relief. "You two come along behind us. It could get messy."

Fuuta nodded and took a reluctant Birdy's hand and slowly made their way to the double doors. Bianchi reached a hand out to Fuuta's shoulder but stopped and looked down at her stomach where a three pronged trident was shoved into her stomach. Birdy gasped and pulled away from the boy in horror.

"Bianchi!" Tsuna yelled as the woman fell to the floor. "Bianchi hold on! Fuuta! What on Earth are you doing!"

Fuuta didn't reply, instead he charged Tsuna with the trident piece.

"Wah! Fuuta! Oi..what's wrong with you? Put that down Fuuta!" Tsuna stepped back.

Reborn wrapped up the wound on Bianchi's stomach while Birdy held onto the cocoon state Leon. "His mind is being controlled, Tsuna."

"What! No..no way! Fuuta! Wake up! Stop it!" Tsuna shrieked running away from the controlled boy.

"Kufufufu~." Mukuro watched as Tsuna tried to break through to the boy.

Tsuna shrieked as he was pulled back towards the double doors by his neck and gasped as he was released and a whip was thrown into his face. "What! What is this!"

"That's the old whip that Dino gave to you remember? Use it to fight back."

"Hiiie! Giving me something like this! What do you expect me to do with it! I can't fight Fuuta!" Tsuna argued.

Reborn just stared. "Do whatever you want with it. But if you don't fight then you are going to die. We don't have any more of the dying will bullets Tsuna so you're on your own."

"Kufufuu, what will you do now Vongola Juudaime?" Mukuro asked as Fuuta charged at the boy again and raised a brow when Tsuna side stepped him and ran with the whip in his direction. "Oya? Straight for me eh?"

"I have no choice but to! Yahhh!" Tsuna swung the whip in a downward arc catching his own feet and hitting himself in the face with the handle as he tripped over his tied feet. "...Ouch..."

"Kufufufufu fufuhahahahaha! You continue to surprise me Vongola Juudaime. Oh, look, you better watch out...there is still danger." Mukuro chuckled.

Tsuna looked behind him and squealed. "Hiiiiie! Fuuta got tangled up too! No, Fuuta!" Tsuna pushed the trident out of the struggling boy's reach. 'This is really bad...how can I help Fuuta out of this...?...Wait... He has the same eyes...as Lancia...'

'How many times have I woken up...' The man, Lancia, had confessed to him. 'Remembering nothing while corpses lay at me feet...'

Tsuna gritted his teeth as he remembered when he saw Fuuta in the forest shortly before he met the real Mukuro the first time. 'Could Fuuta have also suffered Mukuro's mind control and was forced to do something he didn't want to...?...The guilt he must have felt...Then...Fuuta...'

Tsuna gasped as Fuuta reached for the trident again and brushed his fingers over the weapon then pulled the trident into his small hand and lunged forward at Tsuna. "Uuuuuuhh!"

"It's not your fault."

Fuuta halted just inches away from slamming the trident into Tsuna's stomach. Mukuro frowned, no longer amused by the turn of events.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Fuuta. None of this is your fault. We're your friends and we were worried about you. So let's go home, okay Fuuta?" Tsuna told the boy.

"...T-Tsuna-nii...Nghh!" Fuuta grabbed at his head and whimpered dropping the trident to the ground as he fell backwards in a faint, blood dripping from his nose. The trident lay on the floor for a moment before it disappeared.

"Oi! Fuuta!"

"Fuuta-kun! Tsuna-nii!" Birdy screamed.

'Oya~? The one to break the mind control was most likely to be him. To break them away one had to say what the recipient wanted to hear the most...' Mukuro shook his head. "Now, now, see you've gone too far. Looks like he's suffering from a clash of wills. That and he hasn't slept at all within the last few days. Kufufu, we came here to Japan to find the whereabouts of the Vongola Juudaime, but we didn't know where to look specifically. Then we heard a useful rumor that Fuuta-kun here had met you and would recognize you as the Tenth Boss so we caught him and the little Bird with him. But, he invoked the 'Omerta' and persuaded the girl as well to keep silent. Furthermore he closed off his heart and subsequently lost his ranking abilities. Even while under mind control neither would say anything about the Vongola. Such a troublesome child."

"What did you say!" Tsuna cried pulling Fuuta into his arms and inched back to the doors and laid the boy next to Bianchi and Birdy.

Reborn's face was grim. "So left with no other choice since Fuuta and Birdy refused to tell you, you used the list of Namimori Junior's fighting strength ranking list that Fuuta had made before, to flush out Tsuna and his family, right?"

"Of course, the Vongola Juudaime is in front of me now. I'd say the plan worked out perfectly."

"How could you. How could you do that to an innocent like Fuuta and Birdy!" Tsuna yelled. "Rokudo Mukuro! Just what do you think people are!"

Mukuro smirked. "Kufufu. Toys, I suppose."

"Don't screw around! You bastard!"Tsuna hurtled forward with the whip.

"Oya?" Mukuro stood up from the couch with a long staff that had the reappeared three pronged trident piece attached to the top and jumped off the stage as a blurred image passed over his right eye. "Do you really think that you could go hand-to-hand- combat against me?

"Uwaaaaah!" Tsuna whipped his weapon as Mukuro passed him. He heard the sound of something breaking through the roof and metal hitting metal and turned around to see a spinning wheel be tugged back across the room on his right as the weapon disappeared into the dark.

"Oya?"

"What? What the Heck happened?" Tsuna wondered.

Reborn's voice carried across the room. "He struck multiple times with the edge of the trident the moment the two of you crossed paths."

"As expected from an Arcobaleno. But none of them got through to him. Interesting." Mukuro commented with his right eye flaring with a Dying Will Flame.

"You okay, Tsuna?"

Tsuna started. He knew that voice! "A-Ashlynn!"

"Ashlynn?" Mukuro tested the name on his lips. "I'm afraid that I don't recognize the name from the list."

Reborn smirked. "I would think not. You only had the list of the fighting strength of the Junior high school. Fuuta never made a ranking list for the high school students because there was only one person he knew from the mafia that attended there so no one saw the need for making one."

Ashlynn stepped forward into the meager light showing that she obviously wasn't a Junior high school student and couldn't possibly be on the list. Tsuna and Birdy gasped when they got a good look at her: Her ponytail was a mess with pieces escaping the tie, dark bruising and blood splatters smeared on her face, there was more red on the front of her ripped uniform than the white that was supposed to be there along with blood and dirt staining the arm guards and bracelets she wore on her wrists, but the worst were her legs; they were completely red with blood with gashes and pinches covering the expanse of the limbs.

"Ashlynn! What happened!" Tsuna yelled. He knew they should have gone to look for her when they heard gunshots. They might have been able to prevent her from looking like that.

"Onee-chan!" Birdy whimpered. There was a lot of blood.

Ashlynn tilted her head as she calmly walked forward with her eyes solely on Mukuro. "I didn't go through the front entrance after you and came across two people in Kokuyo Junior high uniforms when I was going around the perimeter. Yann and Sanem were their names. It was very annoying fighting the two of them while they double-teamed me. Sanem kept giving Yann back his throw away weapons. And then Yann went flipping berserk."

"Kufufufu. Were?" Mukuro simpered turning to face her.

Ashlynn nodded. "Yes. Were. I'm afraid two of your lackeys will never be able to get up on their own two feet again. And now here I am interrupting your crowning moment of Awesome. Sorry about that~." Though she really wasn't feeling all that sorry.

Mukuro grinned turning his head to look at Tsuna. "Such a loyal and humble subordinate Vongola Juudaime~. I bet you're very proud. Kuufufu."

"His eye..there's a Dying Will Flame..." Tsuna murmured.

Mukuro tilted his head. "Oya? You can see it, can you? This power is the 'Fourth Path', a hand-to-hand combat skill that I learned from the path of Asura."

Tsuna repeated the words. "Path of...Asura...?"

"Do you know of the Six Paths of Reincarnation?"

"The cycle of Death and Rebirth you mean?" Reborn queried. "When people die they are reborn into different states. The State of Hell, The State of Hungry Ghosts, The State of Animals, The State of Asura The State of Humans and The State of Heaven. Which State will you go to after your death?"

Mukuro blinked the flame away and flipped a few strands of hair away from his face. "My body has already been through the Six Paths to Hell in my previous lives and the journey's have been carved into my memory. Thus I have attained all six combat attributes from each path through Hades realm."

"What are you saying?" Tsuna asked. Ashlynn found herself a little disappointed by the fact there wasn't a Seventh level of Hell. But if he died more than would Mukuro walk those paths a second time?

"If that's true, then you are quite the monster aren't you, Mukuro?" Reborn chided.

Mukuro shrugged. "You are one to talk. Cursed infant of the Arcobaleno. Now then, shall I show you another skill? Here I come~." Mukuro's right eye blurred again as he used the bottom of the trident to tap the wooden floor beneath his feet.

Tsuna shrieked as the floor crumbled while Mukuro was raised upon a pillar. He clung to the platform he was on and searched in panic for the others as large chunks of the floor collapsed into a demonic red light. He screamed as the platforms and supports beneath everyone crumbled into nothing sending them falling down into the abyss. "No! Fuuta, Birdy! Bianchi! Reborn! Ashlynn! Hiiiiiiie!"

He fell to the ground with a stinging sensation on his cheek and found the floor back to normal, Reborn was in front of him and Ashlynn tuned her back on him as well to face Mukuro. Tsuna gaped when he saw the through the tatters of her uniform and the tank top and found more gashes with blood barely scabbing over. "A-Ashlynn?"

"What you just saw was an illusion, Tsuna. Had to literally shock you out of it." Ashlynn told him softly.

"W-what? An illusion? Are you serious!"

"Kufufu, so you were able to see through it, Arcobaleno. You as well, Ashlynn-kun, very impressive that you 'shocked' your Boss out of his stupor. Well done."

Ashlynn didn't fight the tugging of a small smile at her lips. "Now don't go on doing that Mukuro_-kun._ You're making me blush~."

Mukuro inclined his head with a growing smirk. "That was the first path: The State of Hell. A skill that enables one to break another's mind in spirit by exposing them to an unending nightmare.'

'Scary..' Tsuna shivered.

"Hmmm, I believe I have figured out your relationship from observing you: The Arcobaleno is monitoring the Vongola which would explain your presence here?" Mukuro theorized.

"That is incorrect." Reborn declared. "I am Tsuna's Home Tutor."

"Oh, I see. That is very unique. But is the teacher going to attack? I wouldn't mind if you stepped in even if I have to battle all three of you at the same time."

Reborn shook his head. "That is against the law."

"Against the law? Kufufufu. That is the reply of a true, proper, traditional mafia member." Mukuro idly twirled his trident.

Reborn continued. "Furthermore, there is no need for my involvement. At least not unless you defeat Tsuna. But I'm not too worried about that happening."

"Oi, Reborn!"

"Ho? What a beautiful trusting relationship between student and teacher. How amusing. Very well then." Mukuro's eyes blurred twice. Once to summon a horde of poisonous snakes into the area and the second back to the Path of Asura as Ashlynn lunged passed the space between them and brought her chakrams down to strike him.

"Hiiiiiiiie! Snakes!" Tsuna cowered directly in the middle of where the snakes had been dropped. "W-wait- Are these illusions too?"

Mukuro ducked under a horizontal slash and blocked the kick aimed at his head while parrying the other chakram. He used his body weight to force her back and would have stabbed her if she hadn't moved to the side and snapped a bolt of lightning at him. He shook his hand into a fist at the slight numbing sensation. "Those are genuine poisonous snakes. If you truly do not believe me then feel free to go ahead and try to get bitten."

"N-no way!"

"The skill from the third state: The State of animals. A person driven to death is able of summoning living creatures that will kill the enemy. Come now Arcobaleno, your student is in danger. Is that okay? Will you stand by and watch?" Mukuro asked the infant hitman parrying against chakrams sending a few sparks when the metal met each other.

"Don't be too sure of yourself Mukuro. I am an exceptional Home Tutor, you know?" Reborn smirked.

Ashlynn ducked out of the way as a weapon from the double doors whirled over her head at Mukuro. He smacked it back over her head with the trident. She hopped back a few steps to the sides so she could see Hibari and Gokudera supporting each other as they walked into the room. Gokudera lit a handful of dynamite and sent them to the snakes that were closing in to bite Tsuna.

"Boss! Please take cover!"

Tsuna coughed stumbling out of the smoke and was relieved to see the two boys come into the auditorium. "Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun! You both, you're both okay!"

"Do you understand Mukuro? There is no reason that I would be bringing up Tsuna alone." Reborn informed the male.

"I've paid you back now." Hibari told Gokudera and let him fall to the ground. "Now we are even."

"What is this? One after the other coming in from the outfield? What is Chikusa doing I wonder." Mukuro swiped away the chakram heading for his head, Ashlynn pulled it back by the wire and sent him an amused look when it occurred to her that the look on his face must have been a pout for interrupting the conversation.

Gokudera moved to lean against the wall. "If you are talking about the spectacles yo yo freak with the crazy animal freak then they are both currently taking a nice break together."

"I see..."

"I-incredible Gokudera-kun! Are you alright?" Tsuna called to him.

Gokudera looked away. "Yeah...I'm fine...I wasn't the one that defeated them though. That was all him."

"Have you prepared yourself" Hibari caught his weapons from Ashlynn.

"What's this? How frightening." Mukuro turned his attention to Hibari. "But please do not get in the way of me and the Vongola right now. You shouldn't be up and about anyway...how many bones in your body have I broken?"

Hibari stared back at him. "Are those your final words?"

"Kufufufufu, you say such interesting things. Wouldn't it be better if we made a pact? No? No choice then.. I shall have to dispose the two of you first. It will be over in a moment!" Mukuro stormed forward and met Ashlynn and Hibari with his trident against tonfas and chakrams.

Tsuna could only gape as the three wound around each in what he could only describe as a dance. Where Hibari-san would attack Ashlynn would support him and for some reason he could hear her fingers snapping, and when Ashlynn moved in to slash with her chakrams Hibari would move to Mukuro's other side and attack him while his focus was on Ashlynn. It was going so fast he could barely keep his eyes trained on all of their movements. 'Amazing! Ashlynn and Hibari-san are so strong!'

"Fnn, Ashlynn and Hibari work very well together...This may be the first time that they have worked together against a common enemy at the same time." Reborn observed with no problems.

"Just how long is an instant for you?" Hibari asked slamming a tonfa at Mukuro and frowned when it didn't hit the boy's torso. The same with Ashlynn until she snapped her fingers at Mukuro's hands and there was a small spark that made him pull back before evading Hibari again.

Reborn nodded. "Don't underestimate them, Mukuro. They are still growing. Even now they are getting stronger."

"So it would seem" Mukuro agreed. "If they weren't injured then the outcome of this battle would have been questionable."

Hibari and Ashlynn froze as blood dripped out of wounds they hadn't remembered suffering from. Mukuro chuckled. "Fun while it lasted I will admit. But this is becoming a waste of time. I'll finish you off quickly now." Mukuro's eye blurred once more and cherry blossoms started to appear in the light hangings of the ceiling, their petals falling gracefully above them to the floor below. "Kufufufu. Come kneel before me."

"No! Hibari-san! Ashlynn!" Tsuna screamed as both staggered on their legs and began to fall at Mukuro's feet.

They stepped with the other foot at the last second and slammed each others weapons respectively into Mukuro's chest. Reborn smiled.

"Oya?"

Gokudera scoffed and held up a small medicine bag. "A bit naive aren't you? I got this from Shamal before we came here. The prescription for Sakura-Kura disease."

Hibari stepped in to hit him again sending him crashing across the floor. Mukuro coughed out blood from the blunt trauma to his body. Ashlynn blinked as the Sakura disappeared but moved to keep Hibari steady on his feet and moved away from Mukuro's body to be closer to the double doors next to Birdy and Fuuta. He stared at the blood still smeared across her face and the red that took over the white of her clothes. But once the prefect was as settled as he could be he finally closed his eyes and fully passed out. Birdy crept forward with worried eyes and buried her face into Ashlynn's shoulder where there wasn't too much blood. Ashlynn patted the girls head keeping an eye on Mukuro's un-moving body in the distance.

"It's finally over Tsuna. However you were perfectly useless during the fight with Mukuro. You had to be save by Gokudera bombing away the snakes while Hibari and Ashlynn combated with Mukuro."

"Leave me alone! I just want to go home, Reborn!" Tsuna cried. "Eh? Ashlynn and Hibari-san! Are you two alright?"

Reborn shook his head. Obviously they weren't. "Ashlynn's covered in blood and Hibari was fighting unconsciously since about halfway through that fight. He must have been very upset that he lost before."

"Hiiiiiie! We have to get everyone to the hospital quick!" Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head.

"Don't worry Tsuna, a team of the Vongola's best medical squad is on there way to this location."

Gokudera stood up with his hand covering his stomach. "That's good to know."

"G-Gokudera-kun! You should take it easy! Sit back down!" Tsuna worried over the boy.

"That medical team will not be of any use to you." Mukuro sat up with a gun pointed at them. "Because no one here will be alive for them to help."

Gokudera moved his body to shield Tsuna's. "You Bastard!"

"Kufufufufu. Arrivederci~." Mukuro pointed the end of the barrel against his head and shot himself.

Tsuna stared in shock as Mukuro fell back to the ground the gun falling out of his hand. "He...he really did it. But...but why...? How could...How would he do something like that?"

"Maybe he would have rather died than be captured again." Reborn guessed. "Or..."

Tsuna froze as a shiver rolled down his spine. '...What...? What is this feeling...?..it's...it's...it feels like Mukuro...But...Something is really wrong here.'

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes in Bianchi's direction. She slipped her gun out of its holster and pressed it into the younger girl's hands and moved her lips to murmur into Birdy's ear. "This isn't over just yet. If you can, take Fuuta and get off of this floor. Go upstairs and hide. Do not come out until I come for you. Can you do that, Birdy?"

She nodded and went to Fuuta making it seem like she was only checking on him and while everyone wasn't looking she half carried half dragged the boy out of the auditorium to hide.

Bianchi gingerly propped herself into a sitting position. "...So he's dead. Thank goodness. Hayato, will you lend me your shoulder? I don't think I'll be able to walk out of here on my own."

"Eh? Do I have to? Che, fine, just...just for today, okay?" Gokudera sighed and walked over offering his arm for his sister to grab onto.

Ashlynn found that she had absolutely no idea what to do. Should she allow things to play out as they are supposed to and be assured that Tsuna wins..? Or try to keep Mukuro from scratching anyone else and risk herself being possessed and used to fight against Tsuna?

"Gokudera-kun! Don't go any closer!" Tsuna yelled.

"What? Oh, it's alright Juudaime. My injuries are fine enough to help her out of here. C'mon, give me your hand."

Bianchi smiled and plunged the trident end of Mukuro's weapon past her brother's face scratching him along the cheek.

"What the Hell!" Gokudera fell back.

"My." Bianchi stared at the hand holding the piece of the trident. "What came over me...? And why do I have this?"

"What are you doing, Bianchi? The one you just cut is your little brother, you know." Reborn tapped her nose and flipped out of the way when Bianchi slammed the trident into the floor where he had stood before.

"Is this more mind control?" Gokudera grimaced.

"No. Not mind control. It appears that she is being possessed by something."

'...This uneasy feeling...it's Bianchi...but then again it doesn't ...feel like it's really her...Ah...' Tsuna stared at her eyes. "Rokudo...Mukuro...?"

"Kufufufu, so we meet again Vongola Juudaime~." Bianchi lifted her face as her right eye flashed red and kanji blurred into the iris.

"That is impossible. It shouldn't exist..." Reborn accused.

Tsuna screeched. "How! How did you...! Your body is laying dead right over there!"

"There are still things I have to do in this world. So I have returned from the very depths of Hell."

Gokudera moved in front of Tsuna. "Leave this to me Boss! Rin! Byou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Jun! Retsu!"

"M-magic? Gokudera-kun since when...? Uwaaaah! It's working!" Tsuna cheered as Bianchi fell to the ground holding her face. Tsuna kneeled in front of her and sighed as she was still breathing but seemed to be asleep. He looked up as Gokudera joined him.

"Don't worry Juudaime. I'll take care of everything."

"G-Gokudera-ku-No! Mukuro!" Tsuna scrambled out of the way as Gokudera swiped at him with the trident. His right eye now shining red with kanji. 'What! What is going on here! Gokudera-kun is possessed now! Reborn! What do we do!"

Mukuro's voice sounded through Gokudera's vocal chords. "This is a first. No human has ever been able to sense with one look that I am possessing somebody. You are truly fascinating Vongola Juudaime."

"Fnn, there's no mistake now. He pretended to commit suicide by shooting himself with that bullet...The possession bullet is forbidden. Where did you come by it?" Reborn demanded.

Mukuro smiled with Gokudera's face. "Ah, so you noticed. Yes, this possession is due to that very bullet."

"Y-you mean like the Dying Will Bullet?" Tsuna asked.

"That's right." Reborn affirmed. "The possession bullet as its' name implies is a bullet designed to allow someone to possess another person's body and control it. It's said that this particular bullet was founded by the Estraneo Famiglia. To handle it well requires a very strong spirit and also a virtuous affinity with the bullet. But the use of it was so inhuman that the mafia world declared it forbidden, and destroyed its stock and manufacturing instructions."

"It cannot be compared to mind control because it is not control but complete possession- From the top of his head to his toes. They are all under my power. In other words this body now belongs to me." Mukuro dug his finger across the skin of Gokudera's neck and looked at the blood that was on his fingers from the scratch.

"Stop! STOP IT!" Tsuna screamed.

Reborn hummed. "You were also able to ensnare Lancia because of this bullet. Why do you have the possession bullet and how did it come to be yours to use?"

"Let me just say... that they rightfully belong to me. Now I will be taking over your body now Tenth Boss."

"So this was your objective?" Ashlynn asked speaking for the first time in the conversation.

"Not exactly an objective. But really a means to the end. Once I have taken over the one who is to take over the Vongola then my revenge will be at hand." Mukuro tossed the trident in the air to Bianchi's body who caught it as Gokudera fell to the ground in a quiet heap.

"Make sure to not be cut by that trident, Tsuna, Ashlynn. Or you will allow him your body to be possessed." Reborn warned them.

"You know quite a bit, Arcobaleno." The possessed Bianchi meandered to Hibari leaning against the wall and scratched his hand with the weapon. "But you are right of course. Because even if it lands the tiniest of scratches it will be like saying 'I will possess this one'."

"Oh no! Hibari-san! No way!" Tsuna yelled as Hibari forced himself to his feet but took no more than three steps before he crashed into the ground.

"Hmmm, it seems that this body cannot be used. And he could actually fight like this? What a frightening man indeed; Hibari Kyouya." Mukuro allowed the body to fall to the ground as he stopped the possession off it. Tsuna yelped as both Bianchi and Gokudera stood with trident pieces of the trident in their grasp and red shining from their right eyes.

Tsuna despaired. "What! Both at the same time!"

"And not just them." Ashlynn worried her lip as two people walked in through the double doors. "We'll have to deal with them too. Possessing four people at the same time...a little much?"

"And that's not all~!" Gokudera lit and aimed dynamite in their direction. This was immediately followed by Bianchi's poison cooking attacking all three of them. Mukuro's voice carried from each possessed person. "This is the State of Hungry Ghosts...a skill to steal the abilities of others.

The bodies of Ken and Chikusa laughed attacking Reborn. "You better start worrying for your own life Arcobaleno~."

"Fnn, even when possessing another's body you can still use all of the combat traits from Hell." Reborn threw off his coat to catch the onslaught of needles from Chikusa's yo yo's with the cloth. "You better think of something Tsuna or you are going to die here. And Ashlynn won't be able to hold out forever to help you. She's exhausted her limit already."

"A-Ashlynn..."

She shook her head, eyes hard. "What am I supposed to do, Tsuna? Sit down and watch while they attack you? Not happening."

Bianchi switched with Ken and Chikusa to fight against Reborn as Gokudera crossed his arms. "If possible, I would rather you be unharmed. So it would be better if you just surrendered yourself."

"No..no way!"

"Tsuna!" Ashlynn yelled snapping a spark at him then ducked out of the way as Ken thrashed his arms wildly at her. "It's an illusion! Snap out of it!"

"Hiiiiie! A-Ashlynn! Above you!"

She didn't have the time to run out of the way as Chikusa leaped into the air and moved to plunge the trident at her. She slid her chakram against the metal and sent an experimenting shock through their weapons. Chikusa's hands gave off a burning smell but that still didn't stop him from overwhelming her with attacks from both the trident in one hand and the yo yo spitting out needles in the other. Ashlynn froze as the trident nicked part of the skin on her neck and looked down in horror trying to see any sign that Mukuro would take over her. Chikusa fell to the ground in a wreck and struggled to raise.

Ken shook his head. "This always happens. For how many times now? Hmm, it doesn't matter if I can possess and control a body. If the body has been broken, it still can't move."

"Y-you mean that even if they are injured and can't move any more...you'll still force them to move? But when they're pushed beyond their limit they fall down because their injuries wont allow them...Is that why you couldn't possess Hibari-san?" Tsuna gulped.

"Kufufufu. It looks like Chikusa can still move a little. It is fine though since I cannot feel any pain."

Tsuna tried to throw off Ken who was now chasing after him. "What are you saying! That body belongs to your friend, doesn't it!"

"Incorrect. Since the moment I possessed him the body belongs to me and I can kill and break it at my own leisure. Hmmm..? Now there is something interesting." Mukuro turned his gaze with Chikusa's body to Ashlynn. "I cut you so that should mean that your body is mine to control. But for some reason I cannot even come into your mind. Care to explain Ashlynn-kun?"

Though she didn't show it Ashlynn was beyond relieved for two reasons. One: She wouldn't be used to fight against Tsuna and Reborn. Two: Mukuro wouldn't find that she had knowledge of this world. She shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. "I have an idea of the reason why but not very sure. But I'm not going to tell you what it is."

"Oya? So mean, keeping secrets."

Ashlynn beyond exhausted forced herself to cut off Ken who was gaining on Tsuna. "With good reason. The moment I know for sure then both Tsuna and Reborn will be getting the means that keeps you out."

There was a reason why she wore only two bracelets besides her chakram ones for today though to be honest she had decided on it at the last second before leaving her apartment. The triple Obsidian and the three Angel stones that she had purchased from her first summer festival with Ran. Obsidian was a stone associated with Hades; the God of the Underworld. It was meant to ground and protect from enemy's whether they were seen or hidden. As a black stone it symbolized self-control and resilience and protective energies. It was once even said that it could be used to create invisibility though she hadn't had any success with that endeavor. Then the tree Angel stones: Angelite, Mangano Calcite, and Seraphinite: A focus of peace, gentle enrgies that associated with angels, and protection from the angelic realm.

There was a point that she could get them to Tsuna without it seeming suspicious. there would only be one shot for it to work but she would end up having to pull herself out of the remainder of the battle. She would take advantage of the time now while they went off during the dialogue to carefully break apart the stones from the strings.

"But...that's not right." Tsuna said still not okay with the fact that Mukuro did not care for the bodies of his 'friends'.

Ken, Bianchi and Gokudera's bodies stepped forward and Tsuna grimaced as he saw more and more blood leaking from their injuries. "You really do not have the time to worry about others seeing as you are facing certain doom yourself. Your friend as well, I can see she's forcing herself on her feet to help you through this. They are loyal to you but you just do not have what it takes to join the mafia. Kufufuu. I just remembered. During the fight with Birds you were ready to stab yourself to save your girlfriend, weren't you?...Is this okay, Juudaime? If your friends are harmed any further you won't have any friends back when I am done. Now be good and surrender yourself to me and I will allow them to live."

"R-Reborn! What should I do!" Tsuna pleaded.

He shook his head. "Do what you will Tsuna. I am not to help you. Figure something out on your own."

"W-what! But haven't you always helped me! Don't abandon me now Reborn!"

Reborn struck him across the head. "Don't give me that pathetic squeal. Listen to me Tsuna. You, and nobody else, are the Tenth Boss of the Vongola. Vent your true feelings Tsuna. And that will be your true answer."

"..T-true...feelings?"

"Kufufufu, even the teacher is impatient and about to give up. His true feelings are, 'I want to run away,' or 'I can't run away because of my friends,' isn't it?

Tsuna's bangs covered his eyes. "...want to...I want to...Defeat Mukuro..."

"Oya? That was unexpected."

"I will not lose to such a cruel person! I want to defeat you Mukuro!" Tsuna resolved.

Ashlynn gasped as Leon shot up into the air. "Leon?"

Reborn tipped his hat. "He's finally merged with his wings. It is the same back then...When Dino became the 'Bucking Bronco'."

"So this is your doing, Arcobaleno?"

"Nope. He is the shape-changing chameleon, Leon. He emerges with wings when my students grow stronger. He is my partner. In other words when he goes into his cocoon stage it means that my student will face a trial."

"Is it this a joke! What on Earth is going on!" Tsuna cried.

"Fnn just watch. He is about to disgorge a new item. Something special for my student -That's you- to use. During Dino's time he disgorged the 'Bucking Bronco Whip' and Enzio."

"What!" Tsuna sputtered. "You mean to tell me that Enzio is Leon's child!"

'...That's kinda gross that Leon is puking it up...' Ashlynn crept closer to Tsuna and Reborn a strand of gem pieces tied in a string.

"I am beginning to grow tired of this. Your little break is over now." Ken's body rushed forward and sliced Leon in half.

"Fnn, not to worry, Leon is a shape-changer and it seems that the item was already brought out." Reborn motioned to the two items that smacked Tsuna in the face. It was a little ridiculous that Ashlynn actually snorted at Tsuna's face as he asked how wooly mittens were going to help him in this situation.

"Who knows? Just put them on. Mukuro is coming."

'B-But-!"

Ashlynn prepared herself. "Tsuna, this is the mafia and apparently we can use magic. Now put the stupid gloves on and we'll figure what to do from there!"

"Hiiiiie!"

"Kufufufu, even at the very end you guys are so amusing~."

Tsuna fuddled with the gloves and gasped as a bullet fell out of the material. "There's a bullet."

"Fnn, must be a special one. Toss it here." Leon changed into a gun in hands.

Ken, Bianchi and Gokudera stampeded. "I will not allow you to shoot that!"

Reborn evaded them easily and snatched the bullet from Tsuna's fingers. "I've never seen a bullet like this before. We'll have to shoot it to see what it does."

"What I said about having you unharmed? Forget it. Can you make it in time Arcobaleno?" Gokudera said as Reborn cocked the gun as he unleashed dozens of lit dynamite at Tsuna and the bombs exploded leaving nothing but smoke to the vision.

"...Oya...? My what a truly loyal subordinate you have. She took the hit for you." Mukuro observed where Ashlynn held herself over Tsuna's body, her own was covered in charred marks and burns. She breathed a sigh in relief that Tsuna was okay and that she had been able to slip Tsuna the strand of gems and hoped that from them he would have extra protections and energies helping his mind from Mukuro. Ashlynn wavered and fell weakly to the ground beside Tsuna and winced when the ground touched the marks on her back.

"Ashlynn!"

"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any effects from the so called 'special bullet'. That's all then...the finale came too quickly. now to possess the Boss while there is still breath in his body." Mukuro said.

Tsuna stared unblinking as Mukuro walked closer with the possessed bodies. 'The bullet...Reborn, he shot it...I felt it...but it didn't work...And now we're all going to die...because I can't do anymore...Everyone...I'm so sorry...'

'Sheesh, that Tsuna! Leaving clothes everywhere before he goes out to play!' Maman chided.

'M-Mom?..Is this a dream...? I can hear Mom...'

'Tsuna left his test in the Duty Diary! Geez, only two points out of a hundred?' Hana flipped through the student log for duties.

'...Ah, that was my Japanese test...didn't want to bring it home...so I hid it...Wait a minute...why can I hear Kurokawa bad mouthing me?...Now Haru... Kyoko...Onii-san...Lancia...?...Eh? Reborn? What's happening? Why can I hear them...?'

"What you are experiencing now is real time. You're hearing rebukes from everyone. My rebukes do not have to be said, right?"

Tsuna gritted his teeth and his hand flashed out to catch the trident aimed at his torso. The gloves covering his hands glowed before the changed shape. From wooly mittens with the number twenty-seven on them to black and white form fitting gloves with an X on the back of his palm. Tsuna broke off one of the prongs from the weapon. "Mukuro...even if I am dying I will defeat you! I will not give up!" Tsuna declared as a flame burst appeared at his forehead.

"That aura on your forehead. The bullet did hit you after all. But you seemed more fired up when you fought Lancia earlier."

"That is because the rebuke bullet brings out the calm Dying Will in Tsuna. It is a completely new bullet -different than the Dying Will Bullet- with new powers." Reborn told him.

"Hmph, even so you are still no match for my skills and your body will be mine!" Ken jumped into the air and positioned to drop kick the boy but Tsuna moved only a few inches out of the way and held his hand to Ken's face and knocked him across the room towards the stage.

"Not done yet!" Chikusa ran up and released the needles from his yo yo's in a hailstorm. Tsuna just stood there. 'This...is an illusion...Chikusa cannot be forced to move anymore anyway...so it is not real and neither is he...The real one...Right there!'

Tsuna slammed his face into Chikusa's real body and sent him flying as well. Neither of Mukuro's 'friends' got back up again. The tridents in Chikusa's possession flew and embedded itself into the wall.

"Impossible. He wasn't able to see through the State off Hell before!" Mukuros' voice sounded from Bianchi as she and Gokudera rushed in as well.

"That must be one of the effects of the bullet and caused the dormant blood of the Vongola to manifest itself. The Dying Will Bullet works by using the pressure he faces during a crisis to externally remove his body's limiters. While the Rebuke Bullet causes him to become aware of hidden willpower and removes those limits from within. At the same time it also releases the limiters on his internal sense. In Tsuna's case that would be the skill he displays sometimes to 'see through others,' a trait that is possessed by the Vongola bloodline. It becomes Hyper Intuition. The gloves have other uses as well and will have to see more. And I believe you will have a much harder time trying to take over him. Ashlynn slipped him the items that kept her from being possessed when she saved him from the blast." Reborn talked as he checked over Ashlynn's injuries while keeping an eye on the battle.

"That may be. But can you really strike me while in the bodies of your friends? Can you do it?" Gokudera slammed his elbow into Tsuna's face and Bianchi kicked him in the stomach when Gokudera moved out of the way. "You can't can you? Kufufu, you make such a nice sandbag~."

"You are wrong Mukuro." Ashlynn sat up despite Reborn telling her to lie back down. "The way you are attacking with his guard up, it is draining Bianchi and Gokudera. So Tsuna is not really fighting with his own body; rather he is protecting both of theirs."

Tsuna moved around Gokudera and hit the back of his neck, the boy gasped. "This body! It won't move!"

"Fnn, straight for the nerve that will cause paralysis, no doubt also from his intuition." Reborn began to smile as Tsuna did the same to Bianchi and caught the two before they fell to the ground and carried them to Reborn and Ashlynn.

"Show yourself Mukuro. You're still alive aren't you?" Tsuna trained his eyes back to Mukuro's real body as it lifted himself back to a standing position pulling the trident piece back onto the staff.

"Pfft. Your battle sense and movements have improved remarkably but you are still pushing your luck. Out of the six paths I possess there is still another I haven't shown you remember?" Mukuro raised his hand to his eye.

Reborn answered. "The fifth path. The Path of Humans."

"Correct. This world that we live in is the State of Humans. Furthermore, among the six states it is the ugliest and most dangerous world. I am not being cynical. Because I hate this world I hate this skill the most. If possible I would rather not to have to use it...The State of Humans is really such an ugly State." Mukuro dug his fingers right into his eye and squished it and revealed a new kanji and his aura turned black.

"Watch out for that aura, Tsuna." Reborn warned.

"Do you see it? When a fighter emits an aura from their fighting spirit, it represents a burst of prowess from the spirit in other words; their Strength!" Mukuro shot forward swinging the trident and when Tsuna grasped onto it Mukuro punched him in the gut launching him into the air then waited as Tsuna fell back down spinning the trident. "You and I. The difference in strength is insurmountable!" Mukuro swung his weapon like a bat and sent Tsuna slamming into the wall.

"Kufuhahaha~! Is this the extent of your strength?"

"Of course it's not."

"What!" Mukuro gasped. "His aura exploded?"

"Ah, I see. The X gloves are made from the same material as the Dying Will Bullet and are able to light the Dying Will Flame as well. Besides the energy of the Dying will is different than the regular aura that can be seen by a select few people. The Dying Will is a compressed energy that has its own destructive energy. Recall that Ashlynn snapped her fingers and sparked lightning at you. Her snap was thunder while she controlled where the lightning went." Reborn said forcing Ashlynn back to her side when she tried to get up to see.

Tsuna lit his gloves with the Dying will flame and shot forward and positioned himself behind Mukuro who took in a sharp intake of breath. He grabbed the trident in his hand, burnt and bent it before kicking Mukuro back. This continued a few more times until Mukuro got up shakily and started laughing.

"Kufuhahahahahaha! All of this is a delightful miscalculation. If I can take over your body then I will not have to scheme and gather resources. I can go on and barge directly into the family."

Reborn's eyes darkened. "So your goal was conflict with the mafia?"

"Kufufu, oh no. I am not as petty as that. I plan to take possession of every important person in the world set them against each other and change this ugly world into a sea of blood. A world of War. Does it sound cliche to you?"

"Yes. Yes it does." Ashlynn deadpanned.

"Perhaps. But the first has to be the mafia that will be annihilated."

"So you have a grudge?" Tsuna asked.

Mukuro shook his head. "Oh I don't plan on talking any further. You will become part of me soon enough."

Tsuna stood still again as Mukuro sent a shadow of himself to charge him. "It's another illusion...!"

"Yeah and he hid a rock in it. Don't let your guard down Tsuna." Ashlynn propped herself on her elbow. "Tsuna! From above!"

"I know." Tsuna propelled himself into the air behind Mukuro again and drop kicked back into the ground and waited.

He coughed. "So this is the power of the Vongola. Kill me, finish me off."

"No! Don't turn your back on him Tsuna!" Ashlynn yelled but was too late as Mukuro held Tsuna's wrists from behind and headbutted the boy from behind and dug his knee into the boy's back let go to kick the boy in the direction of the closest wall right where the embedded trident had its points jutting out of the wall.

Mukuro dropped his guard confident of his victory. "Kufufu, look where I've thrown you Juudaime. There is no way you can defend yourself or propel in mid-air. You will perish because of that ridiculous kindness of yours but no worry. I shall fix that."

"Now Tsuna!" Reborn yelled.

At the last possible second a brighter flame emitted from the X gloves and Tsuna used the thrust of the flame to still himself before the trident hit. Then shot forward faster than before grabbing Mukuro's face, cleansing him of the ugly black fighting aura and threw Mukuro into the ground. The trident in the wall smashed into pieces.

"...It's over." Ashlynn sighed.

"Yeah...Oh! That's right! Everyone's wounds!" Tsuna panicked his Dying Will disappeared and the gloves reverted back to mittens.

Reborn clicked shut the Leon transformed. "It's alright. The Vongola's medical team has arrived. It seems that they were able to get to Lancia in time to give him an antidote."

"Thank goodness. Um, what about Mukuro? He's still alive, right?" Tsuna stepped towards the boy's body.

Reborn scoffed. "So soft."

"Don't go any closer to him! Byon!"

"Hiiiiiiie! Y-you two!" Tsuna cried pointing Ken and Chikusa crawling across the floor. "But why? Why go so far for him? Mukuro possessed and used you."

Chikusa coughed. "Don't talk as if you understand."

"Yeah. This is nothing compared to our suffering back then." Ken agreed.

"Back then?" Ashlynn asked.

Ken snorted. 'We were guinea pigs tested on for our own family's ambition."

"I thought so. You are of the Estraneo Famiglia that created the forbidden possession bullet." Reborn crossed his arms.

"You only call it forbidden because it was convenient for you. Thanks to that our family was labeled as brutes and were horribly persecuted by the other mafia families. The moment we stepped outside there were guns pointed at us and were gunned down. It just made the leaders of the family more desperate to make more weapons to survive the onslaught. Our friends died one by one. It was Hell on Earth every day." Chikusa confessed.

"But then," Ken continued, "all by himself he destroyed that miserable life. I remember that he was one of the really quiet ones that didn't stand out. I think it was the first time that we had ever heard his voice. He allowed us to join him and he led us out of there. We had a place to belong! We can't let you destroy that!"

"...But I as well...I will not keep quiet when my friends are danger...because that is where I belong..." Tsuna lowered his face.

"Che." Chikusa laid his head down on the wooden floor.'

Tsuna jumped as the double doors slammed open and three figures filed into the space and made quick work of the space between the door and the stage where Tsuna, Reborn, Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa were. "The medical team?"

"No. They're not." Reborn stiffened. "What a quick appearance. Vindice: they are the enforcers of the commandments of the mafia world and trial those who cannot be trialed by law."

Ashlynn felt her blood freeze as the three passed her and each captured the three boys with collars chained around their necks and pulled the three to them before turning their heels and walking back the way they came. The one holding Mukuro paused and looked straight at her though all three had bandages covering their faces and top hats covering their heads. There was no skin to see anywhere as it was covered either by the large coats or bandages. She gulped as the man (or woman) stood there, just staring, then suddenly the person dragged Mukuro following his colleagues out of the auditorium. Ashlynn released a breath she hadn't realized she held. She gulped again.

"Hey! W-wait!" Tsuna yelled.

"Don't Tsuna. It will be too troublesome to mess with them. Leave them be." Reborn stopped him.

"But what will happen to them? And Lancia?"

"Their crime will be put on trial and be punished, even Lancia. Nothing light, we don't live in a kind world...Ah, the medical team is here."

"..."

Ashlynn allowed the men to lift her to her feet but shook her head at the gurney. "Not yet. There are two others: Children, on the floor above us. One is unconscious and the other is expecting me and won't trust anyone else. Just help me upstairs and then you can put me on a gurney."

After checking with Reborn two men helped her upstairs and Ashlynn was nearly knocked over as Birdy shot forward in tears. She rubbed the girls back. "Are you hurt at all?"

Birdy shook her head.

Ashlynn kissed her forehead. "It's alight. It's all finished. We'll be home soon."

* * *

><p>So while I was thinking of just where in the events that I could have Ashlynn find Tsuna and Mukuro, a situation came to mind because it would be just Tsuna's luck that one of his friends would walk in at the wrong time (And also a picture on Deviant Art), not knowing what had been happening leading up to that point, and then a great misunderstanding will be made for our amusement~.<p>

-~-~-~-~-~-~Omake~-~-~-~-~-~

"You're nothing to be afraid of so long as I have your hands!" Mukuro chuckled darkly holding the other boy's wrists behind his back.

Ashlynn burst through the double doors of the auditorium. Everyone freezes. Then Ashlynn turns red, 'Eeeps', covers her eyes and runs back out whence she came. "I'm sorry!"

"A-Ashlynn!" Tsuna cries.

"I'm sorry!" The girl called out.

Tsuna tries to raise a hand to coax his friend back into the room to help him when he realizes that Mukuro still has his wrists. And the implications of what that might have looked like to Ashlynn who just got there crossed their minds and both Tsuna and Mukuro quickly step away from each other.

Tsuna coughs. "Ashlynn?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Ashlynn!"

"Dammit Tsuna I said I was sorry!"

"B-but, it's not what you think! This is just a misunderstanding!"

"Oh? And just what am I thinking Tsuna!"

Mukuro chimed in. "You're sorry?"

"Yes!"

~-~-~-~-~-~End~-~-~-~-~-~

Yeah, that's kinda it...and kinda lame...I should have the readers write one and I'll upload them...maybe. Haven't fully decided on that either. I just wanted to share the 'deleted scene'.

Some notes~:

'Arrivederci' - 'Goodbye' in Italian

It was compressed into one chapter because the event was supposed to take the expanse of half a day. Remember when Reborn says Tsuna has a time limit? That is because in the Manga Tsuna received orders from the Vongola Kyuudaime (Don Timoteo) that Tsuna had twelve hours to defeat and capture Mukuro and his gang while also rescuing any hostages. If Tsuna ran away then he would be labeled a traitor and hunted down. If he succeeded then Timoteo would send him a hundred years worth of tomatoes at daybreak.

Mukuro's laugh amuses me~

Sanem: is Turkish for 'idol'

Yann: French. Breton form of 'John'

And their sole purpose was to fight and die for this chapter. How depressing~

Kinda felt that the fight with Yann and Sanem was a little short and Ashlynn won because Sanem wasn't very observant of her surroundings and paid very dearly for it and Yann attacked in fury~. Still, it's a fight scene without totally being dependent on the manga for pointers.

Something that I really don't like with Fan fiction is that for some reason there won't be a question mark and an explanation point at the same time when I want to put down someone (Usually Tsuna) yelling a question. It's either one or the other and it usually picks the explanation point... or whatever is typed first.


	15. Chapter 15

****"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."****

****- Jane Howard****

****"Why do they say that something is 'toast' when toast is generally such a yummy good thing?"****

****-RealLemonPlease****

* * *

><p>The aftermath of events and then the beginning of many more to come. That's just how a Shounen series work. Sure, there may be a bunch of fillers to go through but after living through those and then finally getting to the important plot points to move the story along where everyone gets hurt...you kind of start wishing for the fillers to come back so you could at least catch a beak and an actual good night's sleep. And since Ashlynn was the only one that had prior knowledge of what was going to happen, needless to say she was really starting to stress. So many things that had to be done in what she was forced to assume was a very limited amount of time as the passing of time in anime and Manga tended to skip around to scenes and settings that are important for character development.<p>

And then out of the blue you cross from one arc into the other. Well, it didn't happen within a few days of each other (thank goodness) since they had to heal their wounds from Mukuro's Arc, get some little training here and there, a small filler or two that never happened in either the anime or Manga and then just when Ashlynn was starting to loosen up from the tension of worrying about the Varia and the fact that Seanathair was going to be stuffed into a robot that was going to be pitted against Hibari, the ring battle Arc begins.

She wasn't sure if she was happy that the story was moving on or not. The non fillers were making it very hard for her to keep her mouth shut. She wished that Seanathair hadn't ordered her to keep her counsel. She probably would have been able to at least drop some hints that he should keep a close eye on the Varia. She wished that she had said something! She wished she had someone that she could share it with. Sometimes it sucked to be in a Shonen series with knowledge of the events that were to come.

* * *

><p>It didn't need to be said that the first week after their encounter with Mukuro was, plainly speaking, a total bitch.<p>

From being hospitalized again to having nightmares to being asked some very uncomfortable questions from Ran. Luckily Ozumi-san had come to her rescue and had told her friend that she was not allowed to reveal any information of what happened at Kokuyo. The story they were going with to convince the other girl was that Ashlynn had been attacked because of the red band around her arm.

Poor Ran, the girl had gone home to find that her Aunt had been in an accident and wasn't expected to pull through and now her friend was in the hospital as well. Even when the visiting hours were long ended Ashlynn had Ozumi-san allow the other girl to sleep with her on the condition that Ran didn't kick her in her sleep.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ran asked playing with Ashlynn's hair.

"Doing better."

"That's good...Aunty wants us to let her go...so I won't be around for a while. Going to some old friends house and she and her family are going to help me set up the funeral..."

"Do you want me to come?"

"To the funeral?"

Ashlynn nodded.

She shook her head. "No, it'll be okay. Depressing, but okay. My parents will be there anyway to pay respects so I don't want them to badger you thinking you're my girlfriend. And anyway we're not burrying her in Namimori so I'll be out of town until all this blows over. _Sigh_, I might be sent off to another relative because I'm still a minor with family that can take me in."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, thanks. Maybe we could visit her grave later; around Christmas or something."

And so she didn't get to see Ran at all for the next three weeks...

But Ashlynn couldn't have been more glad to finally be back in her apartment and she had two weeks off from school and work to heal form the ordeal so that meant nothing but a few doctor visits to monitor her healing and lazing around at home.

Still, the nights sucked and it was really tolling on her to the point that Ozumi-san threatened to have her stay in the hospital until she was completely healed and sleeping properly. She was actually a little surprised that she didn't wake Ran up when she slept with her at the hospital.

She had passed out from staying up three days in a row without any sleep and barely eating anything. She had passed out on her bed in the early afternoon one day and had woken up screaming in terror sometime in the evening. She had panicked even more when the door of her bedroom burst open and struggled against the person that grabbed her and held her close as she burst into tears of fear.

"Ashlynn calm down. It's just me, Dino, and Romario coming to check on you. Dolly, Birdy and everyone else have been very worried."

She continued to struggle but calmed down soon enough when those words set in. She looked up and there was Dino patting her hair with a sad somber expression on his face while Reborn sat on her bed and Romario looked over worried from the doorway.

Dino sighed. "It was your first kill."

Ashlynn nodded feeling tears spring back into her eyes. Sure they had tried to kill her, Hell they were going to kill her and present her severed head to Mukuro if she hadn't been lucky that Sanem hadn't noticed the wire and she had used a gun against Yann. "I threw the larger chakram at the woman, Sanem, and she didn't notice the wire when she jumped over it so when I tugged it back it sawed right through her legs. She fell down screaming. Then Yann, her partner, went berserk and, and, he was choking me... I just can't have something around my neck and he was...sigh,... I panicked, and I shot him three times in the face. Then I shot Sanem who had still been alive despite losing so much blood...I...saw her eyes...Then... After that I just left them there and continued on..."

"..."

"Fnnn, how long did it take you from that point to the main building?" Reborn asked.

"...About another five to ten minutes, I wasn't exactly counting. I...I didn't want to rest there with bodies in sight...so I kept going, climbed upon the wall that kept rising and jumped onto the roof. I stayed there for fifteen minutes tops before I moved on."

Reborn shook his head. "So you bottled it up to continue."

Ashlynn stared at him. "Kind of had to, Tsuna would have been hurt bad by that attack if I had come any later...The others...do they know?"

"Not unless you want them to. All they know is that you fought them, had some trouble, and then moved on. And now that Vindice has the others in their custody, they believe that is also where your opponents are. In reality the Vongola medical team just took... care of them. Do you want them to know, Ashlynn?"

She shook her head tensing. Dino gently took out her ponytail and ran his fingers in her hair. Ashlynn lowered her eyes. "I don't want them to know...at least not yet anyway… especially Tsuna...At some point there will be another incident and someone is going to kill, whether it be me or someone else...but...I don't want them to be afraid of me...I don't want them to look at me like I'm some sort of monster..."

"If that is what you want."

Ashlynn nodded.

"As for healing over this." Dino said still patting her hair. "There really isn't much we can tell you, Ashlynn. Yes, we've killed before but it's different for some people. There are those who enjoy killing and there are also those who don't. It won't really help if we say it gets easier or that you will become numb against it as time goes on because there are people in this world that never get over the fact that killing is sometimes necessary and needed in our world. We are all different people thus we do not react the same so it is up to you to find a way to cope whether it be honoring each kill or trying to drink the memory away. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Her sleep had improved a bit from that talk and she started hanging out with Tsuna and everyone more often. Though it wasn't until she talked to Lussuria that she came completely to terms with killing those people. She didn't hate Mukuro for it. Just the fact that she had to kill when the others were able to defeat their opponents without crippling them to much for them to come back later in the story...well...except Birds and the zombie twins...

It had been really early in the morning, a lot earlier than she normally woke up and she remembered that she wanted to call the Varia guardian. So since she couldn't fall back asleep she fumbled for her phone and called him on the phone and hoped he wasn't doing anything too important. She didn't wait long as Lussuria practically answered on the first ring. Such a weirdo sometimes. At least he was speaking in Japanese for her.

"Honey, my darling! How are you? It's pretty early for you to be calling me dear."

Ashlynn smiled glad to hear his voice and if she strained enough she could hear some voices in the background. "Hey Lussuria. I couldn't sleep and remembered that I wanted to talk to you."

"Wanted to talk to me? You're so sweet! What is it? Is there a boy that's caught your fancy and you need some advice?"

"No, nothing like that though I do admit that the boys here are getting mighty pretty as they get older. Nah, I wanted to thank you again for those armguards."

Lussuria chuckled. "You already did dear."

"I know." Ashlynn shrugged though he couldn't see the motion and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I got some use in them recently."

"Oh? Can you tell me about it?"

Could she? They were both Vongola and no one had said to keep quiet about it except for towards the civilians. Maybe so long as she didn't mention Tsuna's name and that he was the heir to the Vongola. It wouldn't be all pretty if Xanxus was in the room while Lussuria was on the phone with her. "Not sure, though no one said that I couldn't..."

"Then you should be fine. Now tell Lussuria everything you can!"

So she recounted her tale of how the events turned out. How someone had been attacking the prefects of the town then started attacking the junior high students to flush out any of the members of the mafia because someone had found that she was attending school in town and wanted to go against the Vongola (she said it was to flush any members that were even loosely affiliated with the Vongola out though really it was to find Tsuna. but she got involved so she went with that). She along with a few others received orders to take capture the threat, who turned out to Mukuro who escaped from Vindice which drew a startled gasp from Lussuria asking if she was sure he escaped from the place and the background noises on Lussuria's side quieted down, and rescue the two hostages: Fuuta the ranking prince and a girl that she saw as her little sister.

She talked about how she was separated from the group and that was true, (she just didn't say how and when) and that she was ambushed. That those two people had been a major pain in the ass to beat and they were her first kills. Then she met up with the group and after a few hours they defeated Mukuro and his gang and Vindice came in and dragged them back to prison. But before they left one of them (the one who took Mukuro) had stopped to stare at her and she told Lussuria that it was one of the most frightening experiences she had in her life. It was like the room's temperature had dropped solely because of them.

Lussuria turned out to be a perfect sympathetic ear for her to talk to. He didn't ask for her to elaborate on anything except when one of the wardens from Vindice stopped to look at her. It was very worrying when the Vindice became interested in someone. He cautioned her to be careful but other than that there really wasn't much she could do about it.

"How are you sleeping dear?"

Ashlynn sighed. "It's getting better but sometimes I still wake up really early...I was told that it was up to me to find a way to cope with it."

"And you should."

"What do you do, Lussuria?"

"Hmm? Me? Well, I like to find things of beauty."

"..Eh? 'Find things of beauty'? You mean, you like collecting art? Are you saying that I should find a hobby?"

Lussuria clapped his hands no doubt his phone was being held to his ear by his shoulder. "Got it in one sweetheart. I like collecting art pieces if they are beautiful even if it is only a sketch or a piece of glass or jewelry. Tell me, what do you like?"

"...I like baking, I guess. And running."

"You're a bit like Keiko-chan then. She uses baking and being happy as her way of coping. Though her being happy just comes naturally to her so its really just trying to make others happy. You've noticed that she hugs people a lot?"

"Yeah?"

"She once told me that she craves the contact she has with people. Keiko is one of those people that loves everyone regardless of their background. After some operations she will seek out her friends to feel that they are alive and well. I think she's hugged even Xanxus once~."

"By smothering them with her massive boobies?" Ashlynn snorted.

"Ah, I guess with your height you would be smooshed into keiko-chan's lovely bosum."

"Lussuria!" Ashlynn laughed.

"Just continue doing what you like to do, Honey. Be happy and do things you normally wouldn't if that will make you happy. Just live your life and care for your own."

"Thank you Lussuria. Love you."

Lussuria squeed. "Oh Honey my sweet darling! I love you too! Ne, I have to go now Squ-chan doesn't look so happy that I'm talking to such a cutie like you. He wasn't very happy when Valentine's day came around and I had my gifts from you and Keiko-chan out. So jealous, our little Squ-chan. Maybe next year you can make him a small gift so his feelings aren't hurt~."

"That's fine."

"VOOOOOOIIIIII! Lussuria! Why the Fuck are you talking about me for! You're supposed to be working not talking on the phone with any of your friends!"

"I have to go now Honey. Next time I'm in Japan I'll stop by the shop and see you and Keiko-chan." Lussuria promised.

'I'm sure you will, Luss. And it won't be the reason you think it might be.' Ashlynn thought but smiled anyway. "Alright then Lussuria. Love you."

"Love you. Bye Bye. Neh Squ-chan, guess what!"

Ashlynn grinned as Lussuria hadn't pressed end on their conversation yet.

"I just talked to my darling Honey and she said she'd send you something on Valentine's day when it comes around again! Isn't she nice?"

"VOOOOII I don't need those stupid chocolates!"

Ashlynn smirked and pressed end and closed the phone. "Too bad Squ-chan. You're going to get them anyway. And it's going to say 'Squ-chan' on the top~."

* * *

><p>"Wooooh! He hit another home run! Go Yamamoto!" Tsuna cheered in his seat in the middle of his friends. They had all come out to see Yamamoto's baseball game and cheer the boy on.<p>

Gokudera scoffed and lit a handful of dynamite and shook them angrily in the air. "Che, the opposition is struggling against that idiot? IF YOU GUYS DON'T TRY HARDER I'LL START A RIOT!"

Ashlynn laughed careful not to jostle Reborn sitting in her lap.

"Gokudera-kun that is not what you're here for! Put those away before we get into trouble!" Tsuna shrieked.

Ryohei crossed his arms on Tsuna's right. "Calm down Octopus head. There are other things to do while watching sports."

"What?"

Ryohei nodded and cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. "WHY DON'T YOU QUIT BASEBALL AND JOIN BOXING INSTEAD!"

"Nooo! That's wrong too! Sit down Onii-san! You guys are making a scene!" Tsuna pulled on the older boy's arm and pouted when Ashlynn laughed harder.

Gokudera stood up facing Ryohei. "Quit being stupid Lawn Head!"

"Ha! Don't be so easy Octopus Head! Even if I'm stupid, I'm stupid for boxing!" Ryohei proudly declared.

"That's still admitting that you are stupid!' Tsuna gave up.

"Hey! Foul ball is coming this way!" Birdy jumped up with her glove reached out but the Ball was caught in Bianchi's glove before she handed it to the little girl.

"B-Bianchi. Ahh! Gokudera-kun got sick again!" Tsuna grabbed his head. '...But I'm glad that everything returned back to normal...like that ordeal with Mukuro was just a bad dream...We would have really been toast if that new bullet didn't work...! Eh?...What...? What was that just now?...Just my imagination...?' Tsuna shook his head and helped Gokudera back into a sitting position.

Reborn turned his head as a mother and her son walked down the isle behind them.

"Ne, Mi-kun, big brother was working hard. What she we make tonight to celebrate?"

The child smiled. "We should make hamburger!"

The mother clicked her tongue. "We had hamburger last night, remember?"

Reborn smirked. "Being alone must be lonely. We'll play again with you anytime."

Ashlynn turned her head just as the boy paused to look at them. He had a red eye shining with kanji in the right iris. She gave him a small wave and he inclined his head.

"Again...Someday...I look forward to it." The boy smiled before walking away with the woman.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn sneezed. It was getting colder as the months turned to October. And it was one of those days again. Her gut was telling her that today wasn't going to be all that good. It started with pouring rain and another car accident.<p>

She had forgotten her umbrella when she walked to school that morning and hadn't thought she'd needed it. Sure it was a little cloudy but that wouldn't hurt. But then starting from her third class it started pouring and Ashlynn pouted glumly looking out the doors wondering if she should try rushing through it or try to wait it off a little longer.

Meh, she just wanted to get home before anything bad happened. And she knew it would. She just wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly just a block away from the school.

Screeching tires and a crash. She seemed to be involved in car accidents often...Still Ashlynn pulled out her phone and called Ozumi-san and asked for an ambulance. The man in the car hadn't been wearing a seat belt and had crashed through the windshield, he was still thankfully breathing, but did not dare to move him. It was when she saw the girl on the bloody ground with a cat rubbing against her arm. And an umbrella was laying on its side of the opposite end of the street.

Nagi.

Ashlynn smoothed the girl's hair away from her face and winced a little when she saw the girl's right eye literally had literally been pooped out of its socket. Poor kid, and the fact that Nagi would lose a lot of her internal organs. Ashlynn sighed sickened by the gore but stayed with the girl even to the point of demanding that she ride the ambulance with her (and the man) holding the girl's hand.

While in the waiting room, Ashlynn got a first hand experience with the girl's parents and found them to be lower than most of the mafia scum on the Earth and that was saying something because she hadn't met any mafia people that she could classify them as pure scum yet. Just what the hell did that woman (Nagi's mother) go off saying to let her child die! Where was the sadness that their daughter was hurt? Where was the pride that their daughter had selflessly saved another life? where was the righteous anger at the jerkass man who had run her over? Ashlynn was certainly feeling it from just listening to the woman and her husband.

The dark haired woman scoffed disbelievingly at the doctor that had come out of Emergency. Both she and her husband were in nice suits and certainly didn't notice Ashlynn watching them and they didn't bother being quiet either about their protesting.

"But ma'am, your daughter can live if you go through with this." the Doctor sounded like he was pleading.

The woman shook her head. "Give up my organs for that useless and ungrateful little thing? She shouldn't have been out in this weather in the first place. And the gall to save a stray animal? Just how stupid is she? We raised her the best w could as she goes off gallivanting into the streets! No, I will not give anything more up for that wretched girl. I say let the failure die."

Ashlynn stood up enraged. "How could you say that? She's your daughter!"

"Daughter? No, she's more like an unwelcome guest that is finally getting out of our lives."

Ashlynn glowered and was pleased when both parents stood back fearfully. "You monsters!"

The doctor put a placating hand on her shoulder and pulled her away. "Ashlynn-san please. Why don't go on in and talk to the girl?"

"What am I supposed to say? Hi, I'm Ashlynn. I found you being run over a car from trying to save an animal that will most likely die despite your efforts and oh, by the way, when you really need your parents they say that they'd rather let you die instead of donating some organs that would allow you to live?"

"Please, Ashlynn-san?"

Ashlynn nodded and sent another glare to the husband and wife and entered the room where Nagi, poor Nagi, was hooked up to a many things that were keeping her mostly sustained. Bandages everywhere and an eye patch covering the right eye. The left one was open and staring at her in tears leaking from the sides. Ashlynn grabbed her hand and smoothed out the tense fingers.

"You probably heard all that didn't you?"

Nagi nodded.

"I'm sorry." Ashlynn rubbed her thumb over the girl's knuckles. Nagi's lone eye closed as tears fell down her bandaged cheek. Ashlynn kept her hold on the girl and hope that Mukuro would hurry the Hell up and meet Nagi because there was nothing she could do but offer support until she was told to leave the room while they operated on what they could. The talk that the operating staff was grim; even if they did surgery, without any of the needed organs with the same compatible blood they were uncertain that Nagi would really pull through and live.

Ashlynn still in her uniform wandered in a somber mood into the shopping district for a while no really doing anything until she hear familiar voices and laughter. "Eh, Ashlynn?"

She turned and found Dino walking forward with his men trailing after him. "Ah, Dino. What's up?"

"Reborn asked us to come walk around the shopping district. But knowing him there's probably going to be some sort of trouble in the works. Nothing too bad so we're not in too much of a hurry." Dino said kissing her cheek.

'You would be if you knew it was Squalo. And I certainly can't hint at it since I shouldn't know about it.' She nodded then spoke. "I'll come with you then if that's okay?"

"By all means." Dino chuckled as explosions and yelling sounded in the distance. He offered her his arm which she took as they walked.

The men laughed as Romario spoke up. "Careful Boss, people might think that she's your girlfriend."

"R-Romario!" Dino blushed.

Ashlynn grinned. "Now now, Romario. This is fine, I've walked like this plenty of times with a bunch of friends before whether they were male or female. Now, if he had his arm around my waist then you could talk. Oh? Dino's blushing again. Haha~."

"Ashlynn, don't tease me too, I get it enough as it is with these guys." Dino sighed.

She smiled but pressed on. "I think you bring it on yourself Dino."

"Eh? I do? How?"

"What do you always do when you meet me?"

"...What?"

The men guffawed instantly getting what their Boss was missing. He glared half-heartedly at them but it only set them off into laughter once more, getting strange looks from the civilian passerby's. But that was to be expected. One male dressed normally with a high school girl on his arm surrounded by men in expensive looking black suits. Rumors and theories were flying at high speeds and Ashlynn was sure she was going to hear about it at work. And then Keiko would add her own spin on it.

Ashlynn repeated herself. "What do you always do when you meet me?"

"Umm, I greet you?"

"How?"

"Uh, ummm, oh! I kiss you on the cheek~! But that's a greeting in Italy."

"But I'm not from Italy and did not know that until Reborn said so after the first time you did it. You better watch out Dino." Ashlynn winked poking him in the stomach. "I just might end up with a crush on you if you're not careful."

And again Dino was left blushing while his men laughed merrily at his expense but the laughter quickly disappeared when people rushed past them in a panic to get away from a long white haired man was yelling death threats and swinging a very real sword at two boys. They were grim as they got close enough to perfectly hear what was being said and stopped just a few meters away.

"VOOOOII! Before you hand that over, how many pieces to you want to be cut into?" The long haired white haired male in black asked sword pointed at their throats.

"Hiiiiiie! We're toast!"

"Do not give it to him Lord Sawada!" The tired and beaten brown haired boy who had a blue Dying Will Flame burning on his forehead. Tsuna sat next to the boy in only his boxers and the wooly mittens with the number twenty-seven on them and holding a box of weirdly shaped rings.

"Heh, you're just like always, Squalo."

Tsuna looked up relieved. "Dino-san! Ashlynn!"

Dino and Ashlynn stood next to each other as the small group of Dino's men moved the injured Yamamoto and Gokudera away from the fight. Dino pulled his whip out of his jacket. "Aren't you a little embarrassed? Being so rough on kids? If you don't stop this distasteful game, then I will have to be your next oppponent."

'So the Japanese brat has some connections...? I don't know who the girl is...but there is still Dino of the Cavallone...If I were to go against him...' Squalo glowered. "Bucking Bronco...Dino...I have no problem with killing you right here. But if I fight people from allied families then the higher-ups will be nagging me. So for today I quietly...Not go home!" Squalo grabbed Tsuna by the hair and lifted him off his feet.

"You let him go!" Dino yelled.

Ashlynn charged in changing her bracelets into chakrams. Squalo dropped Tsuna to bring his sword up to block and was forced to jump out of the way of the second one and grinned as she chased after him. They crossed blades a few more times jumping over picnic tables and benches with Ashlynn launching the circular weapons and pulling them back by the wire they were attached to when they didn't find their mark. Just a few strands of the man's long hair had been taken away.

The man scowled but grinned savagely as he nicked her shoulder with a shallow slash that didn't make it all the way to actually cut too deep. Ashlynn simply rolled out of the way while snapping lightning at him to his short lived surprise.

"VOOOOII! At least you're a lot better than those other trash! But now it's time to go!" Squalo threw down three capsules and the area was clouded in smokescreen. Ashlynn coughed and barely missed having her head chopped off as Squalo rushed passed her.

"You guys! Are you okay?" Dino checked the boys over when the smoke cleared enough to find them.

"For your sake Cavallone, I'll leave their lives in your hands. But I'll be taking this!" Squalo revealed the box that Tsuna had Basil had given to him.

Basil coughed. "Noo! The Vongola rings!"

"Hehe, see ya!" Squalo disappeared.

Basil raised to feet and fell down again. "Uugghhh!"

"It's too dangerous to chase after him. Settle down Basil, you're exhausted." Reborn ordered the boy.

"Reborn!" Tsuna cried. "Where were you? Why didn't you help!"

"Because I am not allowed to attack him. He is also a member of the Vongola Famiglia." Reborn pet Leon.

Tsuna gaped. "You, Y-you mean that I was attacked by someone that is part of the Vongola? Why would they attack me anyway! What on Earth is going on here!"

"Who knows? Ah, Basil is out cold now."

"Boss the cops are coming." Romario said hearing the incoming sirens.

Dino nodded and scooped up Basil into his arms. "Tsuna, we'll talk later. I had an unused hospital reserved for us just in case. Let's go."

"Hiiie! Please wait! What about Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun! They were-!"

Reborn smacked the back of his head then pointed. "You don't have to worry about them. See?"

"Juudaime!"

Yamamoto checked over him. "Are you alright Tsuna?"

"The level you two are fighting at right now will be nothing but a bother. go home." Reborn cut in before Tsuna could reply. "Tsuna, Ashlynn, let's go."

"What! Reborn!" Tsuna yelled as both Gokudera and Yamamoto froze and was left to watch as they entered in one of the cars brought by Dino's men and rive away from the shopping district.

Reborn stared out the window. "Don't worry about it Tsuna. They probably sensed it already. After being defeated in such a one-sided match even when it was two against one, there's no way that they're not pissed off right now. We'll leave them be for a while."

They arrived at a place just out of town where they were met from a medical team that took Basil and also Tsuna to check him over. The rest of them waited (While Ashlynn also had her shoulder looked at and her sleeve fixed) a while until they were called into Basil's room where the boy was still out cold but still looked better than he had earlier.

"How is he doing?" Ashlynn asked.

Romario answered. "His life is no longer in any danger. Looks like he was trained well since his wounds weren't too severe. It's mostly exhaustion along with some dehydration."

"umm..." Tsuna hesitated. "Just...Just who is he? Is he from the Vongola too?"

Dino shook his head. "Nope. Not from the Vongola. But from what we can tell he is on your side, Tsuna."

"What! What's going on here? Suddenly the Vongola is the enemy and the person who isn't a part of it isn't...I...I mean! I don't need enemies or allies!" Tsuna shuddered at the look Reborn was sending him.

"You can't say that anymore Tsuna." Dino sighed.

Reborn nodded. "He's right. 'Cause the rings have started to move."

"Rings? This boy said something about that...and that long haired guy stole the box that had them. Something about the Vongola...Is there some kind of connection...?" Tsuna trailed off.

"Yes, but the proper name for them is the 'Vongola Half Rings'. It's a treasure of the Vongola Famiglia that was supposed to be stored in a secret location for three more years." Reborn frowned.

Tsuna was confused. "So those rings are really pricey?"

"They are so valuable that a price tag cannot be attached to it, but that's not all to them. In the long history of the Vongola it is not known how much blood was shed over these rings. It's something historical with a dark past."

"Hiiiiie! Are you serious! Th-then, it's a good thing that that long haired guy took the rings then. I want nothing to do with them!"

Dino reached his hand into his jacket and grinned showing a small box with the Vongola's crest. "Ah, about that Tsuna~. Look, I have them right here. The ones that Squalo took are fakes. These are the real ones. It's actually the reason why I came to Japan today. Because a certain person asked that I give them to you personally because you are the Vongola's Tenth-"

"Noo! Stop! Stop right there! I, I have to go home and study because I missed the reviews today! I better work really hard on them! Bye Dino-san, Ashlynn! Reborn I'll be heading home now~! Bye!" Tsuna ran out of the room screaming.

Ashlynn smacked her palm to her face. "Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna. _Sigh,..._ Dino, the kid was a decoy wasn't he?"

"That's right. Basil himself probably wasn't told that though. That person no doubt thought that this was going to happen...must have been a really tough decision." Dino smiled. "You know he should have just given these to Tsuna directly. He came with me here after all."

Ashlynn nodded and waved as she left the room as it was about time for her to head home anyway.

She had a lovely visit from Tsuna's father Iemitsu (though he didn't know that she knew of him) in front of her mail later that evening as she was walking towards her apartment. The man was dressed in a muted orange jumpsuit with a white t-shirt underneath and heavy boots on his feet. And the blonde man was picking the lock of her mailbox with a nail filer.

"...Is there something you're trying to accomplish by breaking into my mailbox?"

The man turned around and smiled and his eyes flashed; recognition, Ashlynn decided. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Ashlynn got the impression that he had planned on being caught. "Ano, I came to leave you something that can't be dropped in front of your door but the mailman wouldn't take from me and then...this...happened..."

"...okay...And you are?" Ashlynn asked out of mere courtesy.

The man grinned boastfully. "Me? I am Tsuna's Papan, Sawada Iemitsu (Since you call my Nana Maman , you can call me Papan if you want)! And you are my boy's friend and upperclassman, Ashlynn...right?"

She nodded.

"Haha, Papan is so proud! Having so many pretty girls as his friends~...Ah, that's right! This is for you." Iemitsu reached into a pocket on the inside of his jumpsuit, took her hand, and placed a small trinket into her palm. The half of the Lightning ring. "I was going to leave a small note as well but since we're here right now I'll go on ahead and explain what you need to know."

Basically everything she already knew but listened to it all anyway and she found herself relieved that Lambo would not have to be a part of the battles. He was still a child and should have no reason to be fighting a man two times his age to the death.

"Goes without saying." When he finished regaling all the important information. "I'll definitely take up the mantle. Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me, Papan."

Iemitsu smiled (and gushed that she had called him Papan so readily) and told her they had about ten days before the Varia realized that the half rings that Squalo stole were actually fake, and they would definitely be back to take them. Ashlynn watched as he skipped off home calling for his sweet Nana. She shook her head amused and made her way up the stairs to her apartment.

'Gokudera and Yamamoto will be finding their own tutors; Shamal and Yamamoto Tsuyoshi-san respectively. Then Dino is going to tutor Hibari, Reborn and Basil with Tsuna, and Mukuro...I have no idea what he's doing but he (and Chrome, minus the part where her stomach caves in) should be fine. Now that leaves me wanting for a tutor. Of course I could still train with Bianchi...Are there any others that I can ask as well...?' Ashlynn thought before going to bed for an early start in the morning.

Sleep turned out to be a weird...situation that night. In a freaking Alice in Wonderland set where she was Alice. At least the dress was cute. She merely stared unseeingly as voices sounded from everywhere and from nowhere as she strolled down a dirt path marked with a sign that she couldn't read and only hearing a few of what the voices were talking about.

"You appear to understand how a portal effects forward momentum, or to be more precise, how it does not. Momentum, a function of mass and velocity, is conserved between portals. In layman's terms: Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out."

"We're all mature until someone brings out the bubble wrap."

"In the movies, there always has to be a plot twist. That means things always go wrong once __before__ you get to the happy ending!"

"It doesn't really matter what the question is! 42 will always be the answer~."

"I would just like to point out that I'm changing my name to Awesome McBadass PowerFist."

"Chuck Norris does not breathe. He holds air hostage."

"And Remember, a portkey can be any sort of seemingly harmless object like...a football, or a dolphin."

"In related news, I can look down and nuzzle my own cleavage."

"Right now I would settle for the ability to stab out my mind's eye."

"Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down! Never gonna run around and desert you~ Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye! Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you..."

"Life is too short to safely remove a USB."

"It's a sad and disappointing experience when you go over to someone's house and find that they don't drink the same colored cap of milk that you."

Wait a second, did she just get Rick Rolled. Wow. That was kinda sad. Ashlynn shrugged and walked away from the diet path into a forest and stumbled across the funniest thing ever. Man she thought that Were-cat Gokudera had been cute and funny but as a little bunny? Bunny Gokudera scoffed at her and hopped away with his cute fluffy little tail twitching.

"You know, you're supposed to follow after the little white rabbit? Don't you know how the story goes?"

Ashlynn looked above her to find Mukuro in a dark pin striped suit with a cat ears and tail. He disappeared and reappeared by her side. She gave him an appraising glance.

"Cheshire Cat, Mukuro? How fitting."

"Kufufufu, I didn't know that you dreamed of me Ashlynn-kun. Or shall I call you Alice why we are journeying in through your dream land?"

Ashlynn tilted her head becoming aware. "Ah, this is a dream. And you're not a figment of my imagination. Which means I can't do anything embarrassing to you without consequence. Shame."

"Kufufufu. I was on a little walk and came across some interesting things before I stumbled upon your dreaming."

"Interesting? How so?" Ashlynn asked as she and Mukuro entered a clearing of violets and sat down at a hovering table with teacups and kettles. Tsuna with a mousey little nose and ears had his head laying on the table fast asleep. She picked the now smaller boy and settled him into her lap and rubbed his back as he snuggled into her. A Kyoko hare and a Haru kitty sat down at the other end and started eating cake and talked amongst themselves.

Mukuro sat down next to her motioned to the chains serving as a fashionable belt around her waist. On one of the chains was the piece of the Lightning ring. He picked up a yellow tea saucer and took a delicate sip. "Usually people wear necklaces around their necks and not their waists."

"Ah. I don't like having things that can choke me around my neck." Ashlynn looked to his neck in return and found the mist ring. "You have one too. Though it is different."

"It was quite an interesting conversation. For some reason they want me to become the Mist Guardian of the Vongola. The person I had attempted to possess then use to attack the mafia; and they want me to protect him now." Mukuro tweaked the boy's ears making him wake up with a startled 'Hiiiiiie!' and ran away from the table to Ashlynn's disappointment.

She shrugged sipping on her drink and waved as a green skinned Yamamoto grinned and passed by juggling little orange frogs. "Apparently defeat means friendship. It was the same with Gokudera, I hear (The bomber). He didn't believe that Tsuna could possibly become the next Boss so he set out to challenge him. Then in the middle of the fight Gokudera screws up his attack and is about to die from his own dynamite until Tsuna goes all Dying Will Mode in his boxers and saves his life. So now Gokudera has an obsessive bodyguard crush on Tsuna because he 'saved' him and claims that he will become Tsuna's right hand man."

"Che, like I would allow myself to fall for that. What of yourself, Yamamoto Takeshi, and Hibari Kyouya?"

Ashlynn hummed idly waving her hand to create yellow and blue bubbles into the air then fully realizing that she had full reign here, she materialized butterflies, fireflies and dragonflies to lazily fly around them amongst other things that appeared to her whim, much to Mukuro's amusement.

"I'm not so sure about Yamamoto..." And she wasn't: In the Manga Tsuna had to stop Yamamoto from committing suicide by throwing himself off the roof because he hurt his arm and that his average in baseball was declining. And in the anime Yamamoto just became friends with Tsuna not very long after Gokudera out of nowhere. If she wanted to know then she'd have to ask Tsuna or maybe Reborn. "I met Tsuna because of Reborn. I bought coffee for him and he demanded me at gunpoint that I was going to follow him back to Tsuna's so he could pay me my money back. Then a day or so later there was that test to see if Yamamoto and I could protect him while Reborn started targeting us with lethal weaponry. And Hibari-san...He's more concerned about the order of Namimori and its junior high school...I'm pretty sure that they also have these half rings in their possession."

"Oya? Why do you think so?"

'Because I know so.' She didn't say that out loud, instead she said. "Because our group is the only one that is training __with__ Tsuna and building trust with him. I just find really convenient that we apparently have an affinity with the correct rings. This could probably be punishment for you trying to possess Tsuna in the first place. I think you were chosen because they thought of you at the last second and you also 'conveniently' had a strong affinity that was suited to the left over ring.."

"Kufufu, how cruel."

"Well, having a strong affinity in the first places helped the decision didn't it? Besides, now that you can be considered part of the Vongola Famiglia (Once this ring battle stuff is over and done with), we could probably bust you out of Vindice. What sort of Guardian protects the Boss while in an impenetrable prison?"

"I am here now aren't I?"

"Point." Ashlynn conceded. "But then again this is a dream."

"You will have to wait and see Ashlynn-kun. Kufufufu."

"...Hmmm, You may address me without the honorific." Ashlynn played with the ring on the chain.

"Oya? Allowing me to be so familiar with you already? Why, I hadn't realized that our relationship was growing at such a pace. Shall I make it up to you for my negligence?" Mukuro tilted her face closer to his.

Ashlynn huffed and poked his forehead but did nothing about the pink that was doubt dusting across her cheeks. "I call you by your name with nothing attached to it so it would be fair to allow you to do the same (I've got a feeling that we'll be spending a lot more time together in the future). And I am not originally from Japan so I don't normally use them except for when I must. You are from Italy aren't you? Do they use honorifics like the Japanese?"

"Not in the sense that you think. Honorifics were used mostly for nobility... Kufufu. Would you like if I called you 'Principessa'?"

"I would not say no or yes to that."

"Such an interesting individual you are, Ashlynn." Mukuro released her chin and leaned back into his seat.

She shrugged. "I try to be. Good to know that it's working."

* * *

><p>"Eh? I-pin? What is it? Would you like to come in?" Ashlynn asked slowly. This was the first time the young girl had come to her home and she was all by herself. Had something happened?<p>

"I-pin, fetch Ashlynn." I-pin chirped in choppy Japanese.

"Fetch?" Ashlynn was confused. 'A game where she is a dog? Is that what she's up to? Confusion~.'

"Yes. I-pin fetch Ashlynn. Bring to Fukano."

"Fukano's? Oh, okay." Ashlynn slipped her shoes on and walked with I-pin to the bakery. That was closed for the day. 'Strange. Boss Lady doesn't normally close unless she warns everyone in advance...' She opened the door kinda relieved but also concerned that it was unlocked and let herself and I-pin in the building.

"Honey! Over here!" Keiko turned around in her chair at the table in the back. "Good to see you sweet pea! Now I don't know if the two of you have met yet but this is-"

Ashlynn stopped. "Fon?"

Keiko pouted and sat back down. "So you have. Nevermind~."

Ashlynn sat down in the seat next to Keiko while I-pin hopped into the one next to her master. Fon's cheeks dimpled as he smiled and he inclined his head to her in greeting. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Ashlynn."

"Ah, and to you as well, Fon. May I ask why you're here?"

"Eh? Don't you know already? Someone should have told you all you needed to know." Keiko frowned.

"About the ring battles that are going to start? Yes." Ashlynn nodded.

Fon chuckled lightly. "But you wish to hear it anyway. Miss Ashlynn while Reborn works with Tsunayoshi, and Colonello working with that Ryohei fellow, I was asked to oversee your training in preparation for the Varia. I agreed."

"Really? Thank you, Fon."

"Of course. We'll pick up some provisions then we shall heading out to the building that Miss Bianchi has been training you. Fukano-san has talked to the woman who acts as your guardian and you will be excused from school for the time being while we prepare. We can also expect Fukano-san and Bianchi-san to come along for further instructions."

Ashlynn mentally did a happy dance. Sure things were starting to progress (and that was a good thing as well as a not so good thing) and it was going to be dangerous, and yeah she was going to have to fight Levi but she was going to be prepared for the encounter for the ring. And she was going to have the help of an Arcobaleno with her training.

* * *

><p>Notes~<p>

Haru kitty Sounds like Hello Kitty

chapter feels random and all over the place...

edit: I took out the 'Dooby do Wah' that I had earlier...I don't think anyone got the reference I was making...


	16. Chapter 16

**LunaticSheep**: LOL, 'Santa is it you?' Man, I kept cracking up because of that~. Hmmm, Hibari...I was always under the impression that he had finished schooling early or is studying further beyond but stays at Namimori Junior because he wants to. Funny thing is Ashlynn is only a year older than Hibari( so according to his age he should be a second year with her or a first year at the high school.), and get this; Mukuro is a year younger than Hibari. Doesn't seem like it, huh? And another thing: Bianchi is seventeen when she is first introduced so she is about six months older than Ashlynn. Crazy~. The reason she isn't going to school with Ashlynn is because one: she's most likely finished all her schooling, and two: there is an unknown mafia member in Ashlynn's class and they have no idea which family that person is affiliated to.

**Anon**: I've seen a lot of authors downplay the emotional effects of killing another person and decided long before I even got to this story that I didn't want to follow that trend, and it is true that some people just don't have the right mindset to go through with the deed. Pairing wise, it is so very very close! But I will be pulling down the current one and placing up a poll for the top five (haha kinda like one of those reality bachelorette shows)~. But, yes, I am preparing possible scenes for the winner. However I feel the need to stress that romance would not come automatically or smoothly for that matter. Cheers~!

**Irisdagreat****:** Aiyaaa~ 'SilverMononoke-sama's' ego has been stroked~ I hope you enjoy these next two chapters.

**darkdork15**: Thanks for the review~ and I'm glad you love the story. Though your comment 'I mean this as cruel or harsh.' ...Are you trying to be...? It doesn't really bother me since I initially gave everyone free reign to 'kick my writing's ass.' I also understand that I will most definitely make mistakes on my facts. I try to research as much as I can but there are things that won't be right. But then again it's a story and not the real life experience (Though there are one or two scenes that are based off of real life) one would have by actually traveling to and living in another country. If I wanted I could write a story where anime and manga was originated from and produced in Antarctica, for example, and it would be considered fact in that universe~.

Anyway school wise I looked off of what grade one would be in according to their age. For instance: Kindergarten (yochien) would be begin from about age 3 to 6, followed by Elementary school (Shogakko) which have the ages 6-7 to 11-12. Then would be junior high, or lower secondary (chugakko) with ages 13 to 15, then finally high school, or upper secondary (Kotogakko) that starts from 15-16 to 17-18.

Otaku wise, I do actually know the difference between the Japanese and American viewpoints (believe it or not I actually wrote a paper on during my Junior year). But in this universe where my story is there are things that one will have to take in account~. Example: The parents probably don't approve of it and the fact that (Ran) is so open about it and want their child to focus on more important things. Really, I'm just exaggerating on its impact. and it's nothing to be too worried about. By the same reasoning, Haru could fall into the same classification because she loves to cosplay so much (though hers is more of places and things than anime characters and whatnot~).

Add this in with the fact that I have portrayed Ran as a lesbian. I have read somewhere (quite a long while ago~) that Japanese girls use their relationship with their female friends as practice before they get boyfriends and it is looked down upon if they do not move past that phase. Parents may blow stuff out of proportion because of the others life choices, the child feels estranged and the relationship between parent and child is strained. It's possible for something like that to happen~.

~.~.~.~.

Alright quick note just to clarify:

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

"This will be texting from now on~"

Now onwards to the story~

* * *

><p><strong>"We all know there was just one way to improve our odds of survival: Train, train, train. Sometimes, if your training is properly intense it will kill you. More often – much, much more often – it will save your life."<strong>

**– Richard Marcinko**

**"It's amazing how much more you have my attention when there's a taser involved."**

**- Johnwqreenjr**

* * *

><p>Training with the Storm Arcobaleno was a very enjoyable experience, Ashlynn decided. He was polite, very patient, always called her Miss Ashlynn, and was all around freaking adorable. Even though she had been totally fooled from the second day until now she just couldn't find it in herself to be very angry at him. His adorableness and good reasoning kept her complaints non-existent.<p>

Day one with Fon was spent stopping at her apartment to pack her old backpack with only the essentials (A change of clothing and whatever hygiene girly things she may need) before heading out to the recluse area where she and Bianchi normally trained. When they got through to their destination the first hour was spent going over what she already knew, what Bianchi and Reborn had already covered with her and what she thought she needed the most improvement on. During the next ten days (Less then that actually, Ashlynn had to keep reminding herself) It was expected that Keiko would come by every now and then to spar with her to gauge her progress.

"Miss Ashlynn, can you tell what instincts are and how the average human being uses them?"

"Instincts? Well, a person has an instinct to get food for when they are hungry, to couple together to continue their race. Ummm, humans have an instinct against to try to not get hurt... Survival..." Ashlynn listed a little confused by the sudden question.

Fon nodded. "And when fear is added in with the instinct against harm?"

"The Fight or Flight instinct."

"That is correct, Miss Ashlynn. In some matches any learned responses and deliberate actions such as martial art movements are still being used with their complexity." Fon allowed the little baboon (whose name was Richie) to jump from his person to explore the building. "But in true fights when ones life is on the line those movements become lost because of the instinct and there are only a select number that train to overcome that instinct as some are not able to resist the body's natural response to danger. What we will be doing is training you to have those learned movements that wouldn't normally be available to you in moments of high stress. However that doesn't mean that these instincts will hinder you, in actuality it intensifies the awareness and sight sharpens down to the threat. Not to mention that the body's perception of pain also diminishes in life and death situations. But do not take that to mean that you will not hurt when you are wounded. This is a common misconception that many beginning fighters have; they believe that in Fight or Flight situations their instincts are an automatic upgrade to their senses and they think that that will get them out of a dangerous encounter unscathed. Sometimes you're instincts are so specifically in tuned with one threat they fail to realize that there may be another opponent lying in wait for you to exhaust yourself or to attack while your attention is elsewhere."

Ashlynn nodded, the explanation made sense and she guessed that she out of all the guys needed it the most. Tsuna had the Dying Will Bullet (that will change from bullets into medicine tablets), Gokudera had no problems with fighting, Ryohei was a boxer that got in a good many fights, Yamamoto had a natural instinct, and Hibari...Hibari was a carnivore...And then there was Mukuro who had the goal of turning all the mafia against each other and turning the world into a 'Sea of Blood'.

So she trained the rest of the day under Fon's supervision until Keiko popped in during the evening with food and to thoroughly kick her ass in ways that Bianchi had never beaten her before. It was an eye opening experience for her not to very humbling that she wasn't totally invincible because she was able to keep up with Hibari and fight on par with the freelance Scorpion (even though Ashlynn knew that Bianchi wasn't fighting against her at full strength).

Keiko sighed offering her hand to the girl and pulled her up. "I suggest that while working on using her instincts and overriding the Fight and Flight instinct, I say we fill in any gaps she has with her fighting style. And we'll have to fix that she's favoring her right side over her left."

Ashlynn drank from her water bottle. "Gaps?"

"Martial arts are not perfect nor are they fully complete Miss Ashlynn. Each have strengths, yes, but they also have flaws in their forms. This is proven when one style can beat another but will also fall to another style." Fon explained.

Keiko allowed her to finish the bottle before pulling out a long wooden staff. "Let's go again and I'll point out anything I see from an enemy's point of view. Fon can observe from the outsider viewpoint. No, no chakrams honey and no sparking lightning. I want to see how you fare with just your hand to hand and then we'll build on that foundation."

"Alright then." Ashlynn found that Keiko rather liked weapons that caused blunt trauma and wondered if Hibari knew that the woman could fight. Maybe after this was over she could set the prefect on the woman for all the bruises she was getting. Not that she didn't realize that it was for a 'good cause', she was just being a little vindictive because she knew she wouldn't be able to be even a little bit annoyed with Fon.

Blunt trauma sucked. At least the woman hadn't pulled out her real weapon. Fon had commented that Keiko usually used maces instead of staffs but was very proficient with a good number of weapons and that would expound on her education against different styles. It still hurt though. And she wasn't allowed to use more than hand to hand combat. It felt a little weird to not use her chakrams, not even the smaller ones.

Ashlynn ducked underneath the staff and blocked a kick with the underside of her forearm and jabbed into the woman's side and found herself on the ground from the staff coming back.

Keiko swung the wood again. " You've got to be aware of both the body and the weapon. You'll find that a lot of people use their weapons as extensions of themselves."

"Got it." Ashlynn breathed heavily redirecting the staff away from her torso.

"I don't think you do sugar." Keiko told her punching her across the face. "Try thinking of it this way. The weapon is only separate from the body if is launched without wire or anything connected to the user. Though you still have to be aware of where that weapon is going whether it is aimed at you or some important object in the room. Like a support beam or maybe barrels of gas if your opponent uses a gun. And another thing."

Keiko slammed the wood into her chest sending Ashlynn sprawling and rolling against the ground again. "You need to move more than this. You are in the habit of letting your opponent take the fight to you instead of the other way around. Defense is good to have but you won't win or survive if you stay there indefinitely. You are a runner so run! Move your feet and charge!"

Ashlynn charged.

"That's better~!" Keiko smiled side stepping the girl and the smile grew when Ashlynn reached her leg back to hit her as she spun herself to follow after Keiko. The woman used the staff to block another strike and held up a hand for them to stop. "You finally got a hit on me~. Fon, any comments?"

Fon motioned for the two of them to be seated as Richie chittered on the Arcobaleno's head. "Your speed is better than I had expected but we should be able to bring it up more along with your strength and accuracy. You do in fact favor your right side and need to get more comfortable using your left and even attacking from behind which you were able to manage. Also, you hesitate a little before you strike. Reborn told me what happened at Kokuyo so I understand why you do this but it must be fixed. That hesitation will get you hurt, Miss Ashlynn. There are other things like building up your affinity for lightning and being able to channel it through your body, but I believe that is all for tonight. We will be starting very early tomorrow morning."

"Come on sugarplum! I'll heat up the yummy food I brought for you~!" Keiko bounced off dragging Ashlynn to a newly renovated kitchen to stuff the tired girl with food before sending her off to sleep still in her day clothes.

* * *

><p>Ashlynn woke up to the lovely sounds of explosions and yelling. It was such a wonderful and refreshing noise to wake up to in the morning.<p>

Not.

She rolled out of bed falling to the ground as the building shook. Ashlynn grabbed her chakram bracelets and bolted for the stairs.

"There she is!" A dark skinned man in a suit yelled catching sight of her from the top of the stairs. A group of three men charged up the steps as Ashlynn ran back a little bit then shot forward grabbed the bar above the opening of the stairway and kicked the two men in front back down, tumbling them and the others behind him down the stairs in a heap. She carefully stepped over the pile and ran for the large room that was used for training and found Fon incapacitating another small group.

"Go grab your bag, Miss Ashlynn. It is no longer safe to be here."

Ashlynn nodded. "How did they know we were here?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. But the fact of the matter is that they are sending men after your life because of that ring." Fon pointed at the piece of jewelry on her right middle finger next to the sterling claddagh. "The Varia must have figured out that the rings they took were fake. I will wait for you behind the building, Miss Ashlynn."

"Right." Ashlynn went back up the stairs and grabbed whatever she had taken out the day before and stuffed them back into her bag before meeting the Arconaleno and they both left through the srurrounding trees into the forest area away from the city.

'Crap~. Barely more than two days since last seeing Squalo in the shopping district and they already know that the half rings were fake...is this because I'm replacing Lambo? Maybe someone overheard when Papan was explaining to me about the rings. Damn, I should have invited him inside instead of just standing by the mailbox!'

Fon jumped from the tree branches like a freaking ninja while Ashlynn ran on foot on the ground as they distanced themselves from the building. "While this certainly wasn't expected so soon, Miss Ashlynn, this gives us more incentive to work hard. But with the appearance of assassins I believe it best that Miss Keiko stay in Namimori. That way your guardian and her daughter have someone to look after them."

"Right."

"There are more coming. On your right, Miss Ashlynn!" Fon warned just as a spray of bullets pelted the tree that Ashlynn just passed by. She ducked behind another tree as two women and three men walked through the foliage on the right side just as Fon said. All were carrying firearms that were trained to where she was.

Ashlynn twisted and tied wire to the small chakrams and sent them soaring into the air targeting the man closest in the group. He fell to the ground with a thud and the other four did nothing but step over their comrades corpse save for one of the other men to pick up the abandoned weapon and ammo.

Ashlynn opened her mouth to say something but a solemn look and a negative head shake from Fon stopped her. It bothered her that they didn't react that one of their members was now dead...that she had just killed another human being...

"Miss Ashlynn they are coming!"

She pulled back on the wires returning them to her possession as she rolled out of the way as one of the woman charged forward with a handgun. The first shot blew a into the tree behind her before the woman fell to the ground lifeless with a small chakram sticking out between her eyes. Ashlynn grabbed the gun from the fallen woman and shot the remaining bullets at the tallest of the men sending him to the cold ground.

The last woman charged in with a battle cry with a short sword drawing a line of blood from Ashlynn's arm. She grabbed the woman's shoulder and slammed her knee into her torso and chopped the back of the neck.

The last man looked at her fearfully before stumbling past trees in the effort to escape from meeting the same fate. Ashlynn froze watching him leave. "F-Fon?"

"I am sorry Miss Ashlynn but we must keep moving."

She nodded swallowing and hesitantly pulled her small chakram ring out of the dead woman's face and followed her tutor deeper into the forest area. She never noticed but Fon nodded to two figures hiding in the canopy as they left.

The two waited until the sounds of Ashynn and Fon's movements quieted into nothing as they moved farther and farther away before they jumped down to the undergrowth.

"She does fine when there is immediate danger and acts as she should but once it's over the moral implications of her actions shakes her." The woman commented.

The man nodded resting a mining pick against his shoulder. "I've seen that happen to a few of my men before."

"Oh? And what happened to them, Iemitsu?"

The blonde man stroked his goatee. "It depends on how the first few kills end up. One of them couldn't handle the missions that expected killing and instead works a desk job helping file the ungodly amount of paperwork that piles up but is otherwise normal. Another snapped and is now in a mental asylum. The body of her husband was found mutilated because he tried to hold her while in the throws of a nightmare, she attacked him in her terror induced state. Some freeze and get killed on the job while others wait until they are in the confines of safety before they break down. It's different for everyone Keiko."

"I know that." Keiko flipped her hair. "I like her~. If I had a choice in it I would have stolen her away. But then again they would have just followed..._Sigh,_ I don't like doing this."

"I don't either but there's nothing else we can really do. Not until we get word from the Ninth."

"If only this hadn't happened so early. What's going on with Nono's guardians?"

Iemitsu rolled his shoulder. "Hell if I know. And that really worries me."

* * *

><p>"Aaaaaargghhh! I can't do this anymore!" Tsuna cried. He sneezed and pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders in front of the fire in front of him. He was stuck outside of Namimori with Reborn and he was expected to climb up a cliff without any help! "My body is ruined!"<p>

Reborn poked the flames with a stick. "Once three minutes have passed we're going back to training."

"What! But it's dark out! And how long am I supposed to do this for! Do you really expect me to skip ten days of school!"

"Your subordinates are working really hard too, Tsuna. Don't wuss out."

Tsuna sighed wearily. "When I say something you always respond with that...Huh? By the way, I haven't heard who the other ring holders are. You already dragged Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun, and Ryohei into this."

"The rings of Lightning and Mist...you'll learn their identities soon enough. Half expect it, Tsuna."

"What do you mean 'half expect it'! Geez..." Tsuna whined. '...But I wonder...could it be that it is Basil-kun...? But he was hurt... But, who else is being forced into this...?'

* * *

><p>By the end of the middle of the third day with Fon, Ashlynn was beginning to think about the men and women sent after her for the ring...something just wasn't right about them...<p>

Whenever she wasn't training with Fon on her fighting style she was either on the run from the pursuers or catching sleep when she could. That wasn't what was making feel that something was wrong even though she was sure that the storyline was going off track because of her. Not any of that.

It was because she was sure that she had killed the same man at least six times already.

After moving on from running through the ranks of the assassins she was starting to notice things. The uniforms, the weapons used, the faces...It was as if...she was stuck level grinding in a video game. The 'Monsters' were the same with the same mannerisms and attacks as the first four groups that had initially attacked them. Those people all having identical twins was a big stretch but there was no way that there would ever be six or seven copies of the same person brought here unless they were clones.

It was on the end of the of that day that she called on it in frustration as she took out the newest batch. "This is total bullshit! I killed your ass six times already!" Ashlynn swore as she cut cleanly through his torso. His blood like many others staining her clothing.

To her surprise the rest of the current group just vanished and there was a sound of someone moving through the bushes and smaller trees. "Keiko?" She yelled. "What's going on! Weren't you in Namimori watching over Dolly and Birdy?"

The woman shook her head and chirped cheerfully swinging her courier bag idly. "Nope!"

"W-what?"

"Dolly certainly doesn't need someone babysitting her, buttercup. I am here because of your training and you've finally called on the fact that the groups looked the same. Well, after the first day I started recycling the appearances."

Fon jumped up to sit on the confused girls head which had become normal for him to do when he was explaining something. "Miss Keiko has a strong mist affinity, Miss Ashlynn."

"...Mist affinity...You mean to tell me...that the entire time, those people that had been attacking nearly non stop...? Ashlynn trailed off wearily.

"They were never true enemies but rather illusions crafted by Miss Keiko." Fon smiled.

"So I got tricked." Ashlynn deadpanned.

Keiko pulled her into a brief hug with her face smooshed into the woman's boobs. "Tricked yes. But tricked into training seriously. Combat would do you a lot more good than normal training would have done. Do you understand what that means?"

"...it means... it means that I'll react better to someone actually coming in to kill me...that I'll get somewhat more used to the idea that somewhere along the line I'm going to end up killing someone whether it's necessary or not...that's about all I can think of. Sorry."

Fon inclined his head. "I apologize for taking such an approach, Miss Ashlynn, but we just did not have the time. But we did cover everything we spoke of from the first day save for one, though you were not consciously aware of it."

"Alrighty then!" Keiko cheered. "We'll go back to Namimori get something good to eat instead of staying out here and hunting! Really, I can't believe you actually skinned all those animals, my sweet. Fon, you could have done it yourself."

Ashlynn grimaced. She hadn't enjoyed doing that either but it had been something that Fon wanted her to learn. "Please don't remind me. So, what's next?"

"These!" Keiko dug into her bag to brink out a small wrapped up box and handed it to Ashlynn.

She tore up the wrapping paper looked inside then back up at Keiko. "You got me tasers. And, Oh? A bunch of batteries to replace the ones that will no doubt be fried when we're done with them. How lovely."

"Aren't they? This is what we're going to use for your next training." Keiko giggled.

Ashlynn shook her head. "I'm probably not going to like this initially, aren't I?"

"Not at all!"

"Great~."

Before now Ashlynn only knew what tasers were and how they were used. During the next portion of her training, while being blindfolded for some strange reason as she was put to going through the motions for Wing Chun and the other movements that Fon had fixed plus a few extras, she learned that the weapon was meant to disrupt the communication signals that the brain sends throughout the body. And that is accomplished by sending a high voltage but low amperage electrical charge.

"In simpler terms." Keiko told her taking out the dead batteries and switching for a new taser. "These charges have pressure behind them but not so much intensity. How are you feeling right now?"

"Shocked."

Keiko threw her head back and laughed heartily and even Fon gave an amused chuckle. The woman brushed a tear from her eye. "Haha, so witty my dumpling. But really now, to a normal human being it would have meant possible death from even being charged with these once. I've already electrocuted you enough times that the first set of batteries have died out. I've heard from Reborn that you started off by glaring at the electrical socket before you stuck your finger in it."

Ashlynn chewed her lip. "I did that every morning before the boys show up for morning training...I don't remember feeling much then except for when I dropped a spark on my foot and it stung. Right now though, I'm starting to feel kinda dizzy and it feels like I'm swaying. And it's starting to get a little harder to go through the motions for my katas."

"It is normal that you feel this as there are many symptoms from being electrocuted, Miss Ashlynn. It was a good thing that Reborn was supervising you as you started out, as he could see if anything else happened; disorientation, memory loss, and muscle spasms amongst many other things that may have occurred." Fon explained for her but kept off her person as Keiko sent another charge of electricity.

"...Is it possible that I could channel it through my body and back out?"

Keiko paused. "Elaborate, pumpkin?"

'Like Azula from Avatar. Norene liked that show too.' Ashlynn had to stop in her place to regain her balance before continuing on. "Like when the current is passing through my body in search of the ground. Could I direct it out of my hand, for example, and hurl a thunderbolt? As it is, I can snap a little friction in my fingers to get a small bolt..."

"Hmm, it doesn't sound too different than how I can materialize an illusion...Let's try it then." Keiko pulled off the blindfold. "Let's try to just hold it in your hand..." She tased the girl again.

Ashlynn frowned when the spark hadn't stayed in her hand.

"Do not pressure it, Miss Ashlynn. Expect and believe in its flow then hold it within your palm." Fon instructed.

* * *

><p>On the seventh (and final day) Ashlynn was able to hold lightning in her palm for twenty minutes before her hand went numb. She had great expectations that were set from watching anime and in her mind she would from now on call anything attack that formulated in her hand as the 'Raikiri'. Because she liked Kakashi better than Sasuke from 'Naruto'. But she would expand on it like sending a charge through the ground or throwing it. And...she kind of wanted to try juggling little spheres of Lightning...<p>

"You've come a long way, Miss Ashlynn."

"Thank you Fon. And thanks for coming out Keiko~."

"Oh honey, we're not done yet~" Keiko poked her nose. "Just a break and a chance for you to sleep in a bed than roughing it out here in the wilderness. And you're clothes are getting a bit worse for wear. When we get back, go take a shower then we'll have take out or something.

Ashlynn picked Fon up into her arms. "Can we have pizza?"

"Ooooh, that's a great idea! I'll call in for delivery right now!" Keiko skipped away pulling her phone out to make the call for food.

Ashlynn followed at a more sedate pace back towards civilization. "Hey, Fon?"

"Yes Miss Ashlynn?"

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome Miss Ashlynn. Though we still have a few days more left so...ah, have you had a premonition?"

Ashlynn hummed. Reborn must have told him about it. She didn't feel any different from any other normal day she had. But she knew from beforehand that they wouldn't have the full ten days to prepare. "A feeling that's been growing..." She fibbed. She was a little worried about Nono so she played on the feeling off her worry. "They'll be here soon, I'm sure of it."

After lunch Keiko and Ashlynn (after a shower and changing into a pair of dark jeans and a green baby doll shirt and picking up a hoodie for when she walked back home) left for the bakery since it had been seven days since she had last worked, with Bianchi going back to Tsuna's with Fon to see I-pin and the other kids. Ashlynn promised that she would be by later that night.

She was walking home with a small bag in her hands that had a few boxes of cookies inside and she nearly dropped them on her way out of the building because her phone rang with a certain jingle that belonged to a certain Varia Guardian.

'Crap...I almost forgot about Lussuria...' Ashlynn stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Honey~ Are you working right now?"

"Nope, just got off. walking home right now, Luss."

"I'm in Namimori right now and will be here for a while tonight. I want to see my sweet honey before I have to leave~! I'll call you when I'm done sweetheart~"

"k."

Ashlynn sighed and turned her phone on silent (wouldn't want the mood to be ruined by a ringtone). That meant they would be looking for her first because of the Lightning ring. Still, she walked towards Tsuna'a house knowing fully well that someone was following when she was almost at the halfway point between the bakery and her destination.

* * *

><p>"Dying will pills?" Tsuna asked as he walked with Basil and Reborn. They were stopping for the night to have dinner at home. They were originally going to stay at the cliff for more training but then Reborn's stomach had growled. Reborn hadn't wanted to stop when Tsuna whined but when his little tummy rumbled everything else didn't matter.<p>

Basil nodded. "Yes. These pills allow me to go into Dying Will Mode. My Master made them for my use. However the strength of these tablets are weaker than that of the Dying Will Bullet."

"_Sigh_, 'Master' again...he comes up a lot in your stories, Basil-kun."

"He'll be at the house for dinner Tsuna. So you will be getting the chance to meet him." Reborn informed him walking in the lead.

"Oh, yeah..." Tsuna trailed off. 'I kinda feel bad for Basil-kun, but his master was the one who brought the rings to Dino, right? He hasn't made a good impression at all with me so far...sacrificing Basil...He's probably a creepy old man.' Tsuna sighed opening the front door. "We're back~"

"Welcome home."

"Hiiiiie! Dad!" Tsuna yelled seeing the man sitting on the small step before the door. "You're awake for once. Are you going somewhere?"

The blonde man nodded. "Yep. An uninvited guest came earlier than expected."

"Is that true Iemitsu?" Reborn asked completely serious.

He nodded. "I got the information from one of my agents in the mainland so there's no mistake about it."

"But it seems too soon..." Reborn shook his head.

"I know, Reborn." Iemitsu stood to his full height. "It is unexpected that the rings have been discovered so quickly. I assume it's because of Xanxus' extreme intuition...but another thing, Fon was here earlier. He said that his temporary pupil had a feeling that they would be here sooner..."

"Dad? What on Earth are you talking about?" Tsuna asked confused and lost.

Iemitsu laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "The Varia have arrived in Japan."

"W-What! Those really scary people are here! But! But- Why does Dad know about this!" Tsuna cried.

Iemitsu slipped his shoes and pulled the door back open. "I'll go check on all of the Guardian's safety and inform them of the situation. Basil, assist me."

"Yes. I shall accompany you, Master!" Basil nodded and moved to the man's side to Tsuna's shock.

He sputtered looking sat Basil and pointed at his own father. "..Master...?"

Basil nodded.

Tsuna stared at Iemitsu who was grinning like a fool. "...Master...?"

"Master." The man's answer definite.

Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head. "NO WAYYY!"

"Tsuna, there's no time to explain right now so we'll talk about this later." Iemitsu linked hie pinkie finger with Tsuna's and shook hands. "For now, keep this a secret from Mom. It's a promise between men, okay?"

"W-wha-wait..."

Iemitsu looked to Reborn. "The enemy's first group is Levi-A-Than's Thunder unit. They're here to retrieve the Half Vongola ring of Lightning. The wielder of this ring is pretty strong but I'm still a little worried. I'll gather up the other Guardians and go to help the Lightning Guardian but that will take some time. So Tsuna, I want you to go ahead and help your Guardian until I come with the others okay? Let's go Basil."

The two left Tsuna shell shocked as they left. He grabbed his head as the conversation sunk in. "...What...?..What is this! What is going on here! And! AND WHAT am I supposed to do!"

Reborn whacked the back of his head. "Just follow Iemitsu's instructions. We'll go and protect the holder of the Lightning ring.

"But, who has that ring! No one's ever said who has it! And besides! You said that they weren't going to be here for a few more days! This is different from what you said before!"

"Whatever comes will come, Tsuna. Let's go before the Varia find the Lightning holder before we do." Reborn pushed Tsuna out the door and closed it behind them and then moved to lead the way.

* * *

><p>"Sir. This is number 01 speaking. I have approached the target. A female, though nothing seems off about her." The man reported through the microphone on his person.<p>

"Sir, this is 02. In the twelve o'clock position. There is no one in sight."

"This is 03 in the nine o'clock position. There isn't anything suspicious on my side."

The man closed his eyes. "Then the girl must have the other half of the ring. 01, go ahead and eliminate the target. 02, 03, back up 01 and mince her to pieces."

* * *

><p>"What!" Tsuna yelled as he ran through the streets. "Ashlynn has the Lightning ring! How is that possible!"<p>

Reborn stared blandly at him from jumping from the tops of the walls dividing the houses from each other. "If she hadn't had the correct affinity the ring would have gone to the stupid cow instead."

"L-Lambo! Are you serious! But isn't he from the Bovino Family?" Tsuna yelled then gasped as he turned the corner and nearly fell over someone lying on the ground. "Hiiiiiie! A body! Ashlynn!"

Ashlynn kicked one of the men away from her and into the wall behind her not even pulling out her chakrams. Reborn grinned as the other man was sent flying by something on the other side of the road.

"Vongola Famiglia's Sun Guardian and Master Colonello's best disciple! Sasagawa Ryohei is here TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei slapped Ashlynn's held up hand in a high five.

Tsuna deflated a little. "Onii-san...What a flashy entrance..."

"It's not over yet." Reborn nodded to the man that Ashlynn had attacked. He got up to his feet but was blasted right back off them as Gokudera and Yamamoto stepped to stand by Ashlynn. "Looks like Iemitsu made it in time."

"E-Everyone!" Tsuna ran forward.

Gokudera grinned. "Juudaime!"

"Haha, it's been a while guys~" Yamamoto laughed.

Ryohei punched the air. "Was that really it? They were a lot weaker than I thought they would be! That was an easy victory!"

"You are thinking too easily." Reborn admonished. "These are just few of the underlings that they sent. The inner members...he's here."

Ashlynn looked up as a figure leaped into the air and landed on a raised grassy area. The man took a few steps until he came to the edge where the street lights revealed his features. A tall tanned man with black spiky hair, facial piercings (three rings on the eyebrow and a chain that connected to the ring around his lip and clipped onto the collar of his dark coat) dressed in a black, with a dark harness strapped in an X across his chest holding his weapons in the back. Ashlynn thought that with his body in the way from seeing the man's choice in weaponry, that they looked like sabers which sounded a lot cooler than what they really were: umbrellas.

The man looked at his fallen underlings and scoffed. "So you guys did that...and my opponent who wields the ring of Lighting is the girl." He reached behind his back and grabbed the top two of the handles that peeked out. "If any of you interfere I'll eliminate you all."

"Wait Levi!"

The man paused as more people jumped and stepped into the light. Ashlynn's eyes immediately settle on the tall hulking robotic figure in the back then on to Lussuria on the side who still had his head shaved bald save for his light green mohawk and still wearing sunglasses even when it was dark outside, his black coat with a feathery boa attached where one might of had fur, was open showing a white button up shirt and black tie. And around his waist there was a piece of black cloth that covered his left leg down passed his knee and he like the others wore black boots save for the blonde of the group who wore white ones.

On Levi's right side were two people, one small with an infants body dressed in the same lack coat with a hood covering the entirety of his face save for his mouth and a bit of his cheeks that showed two little purple triangles pointed down. Nect to him was a blonde teenage with a crown on his head and his hair covering his eyes and coat opened as well revealing a purple and black tripped shirt.

Reborn stared curiously at the baby figure as another person pushed to the front of the group.

The long haired man yelled staring directly at Tsuna. "VOOOOOI! How dare you trick me! You piece of scum!"

"He...he's here..." Tsuna gaped as Gokudera and Yamamoto narrowed their eyes at the man.

Squalo held up his fist. "Which of you holds the ring of rain?"

"I do." Yamamoto lifted his hand in response.

"Che, three seconds." Squalo smirked. "I'll cut you up in three seconds...huh?'

"Move." Another person came up thee the front. Levi pulled Squalo out of the way as the figure glared down at the group.

Reborn frowned. "So he is here...I thought the day would never come that I would have to see him again...Xanxus."

Tsuna recoiled in fear as the man's eyes glowered at him from a scarred face. he wore his jacket hanging off of his shoulders with a white shirt, tie, black slacks and boots. There were a few strands of beads, colorful feathers and what looked like a raccoon tail that hanged over the front of his shoulder from his hair.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Xanxus growled raising his fist as an orange flame grew in the palm.

Lussuria jumped back. "Are you seriously going to use that here Boss?"

"Are you trying to kill us as well?" Squalo jeered.

"This is bad." Reborn warned. "Run!"

A work pick swung into the place in front of the Varia leader. "Hold it, Xanxus. That's enough. From here on I'll be taking charge of things."

"Iemitsu." Xanxus growled as the blonde man walked in from down the street with Basil and another man in a suit.

"You!" Squalo crowed pointing his sword at the man. "What are you doing here!"

"Xanxus. Is one of your subordinates planning to raise his blade against me? The Outside Adviser?" Iemitsu warned.

"Che," Squalo glared. "Don't stick your comments in now, Iemitsu! You're the wuss who can do nothing but run around!"

"Stop Basil." Iemitsu ordered the boy before he rushed in to attack for the comment. "Anyway, I wasn't running, rather, I was waiting for an answer from the Ninth. I was questioning the way you were doing things lately, along with the Ninth's approval. So I asked some rather significant questions. And an order that I assume is his reply just arrived." He held up two scroll capsules.

"B-but, I don't understand what's going on...! Why is Dad-?"

Reborn interrupted his student. "He is the Outside Adviser. That is his job in the Vongola...He is of the Vongola Famiglia but then again he isn't. He's not involved during regular times but when the Family is in a state of emergency then he has the authority as the number two figure, after the Boss."

"What! Dad is the Number two?" Tsuna gulped.

The Hitman nodded. "And the Outside Adviser has the same voting power to choose the next heir. In other words, the authority to give the half Vongola rings to the heir."

"Half?"

"Didn't I already tell you this? The half Vongola rings are only parts of the seven types of rings I mentioned. When the two half parts gather they become a Vongola ring, which is the proof of the heir to the throne. Vice versa, if you cannot claim both of the rings then you can't be the heir. For the Boss and the Outside Adviser to choose different heir isn't something that occurs very often."

"Lord Sawada, these are the direct orders from the Ninth." Basil handed him the rolled up piece of paper.

As both he and the Varia Boss unrolled the page the signet on the top if the page burst into flame yet it did not harm the paper. "The Dying Will Flame?"

"That's the Ninth's stamp of the Dying Will. There's no mistake that this is a real order." The Varia infant commented quietly.

Ashlynn glanced down as she felt her phone vibrate silently in her hoodie pocket. she looked up at Lussuria as she quietly pulled it open and checked it as Tsuna confessed that he couldn't read what was said on the page.

"Hi Honey~! I have to say my sweet I am very surprised to see you here with a half ring~. But I'm sure everything will turn out okay. Lussuria still loves you~! Kisses!

"Heh." Iemitsu chuckled. "Translated it basically says, 'Until now, I thought the one worthy to take on the role of the heir and later on as the Boss was Iemistu's son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and so I was compelled to that choice. However, lately, because I am nearing the end of my life, my intuition's became sharp. So I have decided on an heir more worthy of succeeding me. I name my youngest son, Xanxus, as my true heir."

"W-what? He's the Ninth's son?" Tsuna gaped.

Iemitsu continued. "But, there will be people who will be unsatisfied with my change of mind. Currently, Iemitsu refused to offer to give Xanxus the rings. However I do not wish there to be any useless battles between my own Family members. So we shall start the traditional Vongola battle to satisfy everyone'...so, this is what it means...Those who wield the same type of ring will fight in a one-on- one battle...and after that it says to wait for further instructions..."

"I love you too Lussuria. Kisses~."

"Thank you for waiting."

All turned to look as two more people jumped into the area. Both women had long pale pink hair with black masks covering their eyes, whistles around their necks and black jackets. One wore a ruffled white dress with black boots while the other wore a white ruffled shirt and black capris and black flats. The one in the dress spoke.

"In the scramble for the rings we shall serve as the judges."

The other woman held up a page with the Ninth's Dying Will Stamp. "We are the Cervello Organization, serving directly and solely under the Ninth Boss. Please consider our decisions regarding the Ring Battles as the Ninth's decision."

"The Ninth said that this is the most risky step to satisfy the family. Do you have any objections, Lord Xanxus?"

The man glowered.

The Cervello woman nodded completely bereft of emotion. "Thank you very much."

"Wait. I have an objection." Iemitsu called. "I have never heard of the Cervello Organization. How can I leave the judging to that?"

"We cannot except you objection..."

"...We serve the Ninth Boss directly, and thus you have no authority over us. And the Stamp of the Dying Will should be evidence enough to suffice."

Iemistu narrowed his eyes."What..."

"Oh my~. Too bad." Lussuria chortled.

The Cervello in capris spoke. "Originally the seven types of half rings had two sets. One set in the Boss' care and the second set in the Outside Adviser's. In the ceremony for the heir, the pairs of rings are connected to form the complete Vongola rings, and are given to the seven people who both the Boss and the Adviser chose to succeed the Family. However this has become and exceptional case; because the Boss and the Advisor decided on different successors for each half ring, they gave them two to different groups. The seven led by Lord Xanxus ad the seven led by Lord Tsunayoshi, in this battle you will prove your worthiness with your lives."

"The battles shall take place and Namimori Junior high at midnight. Further details will be given at the site. We shall await you at eleven o'clock. Farewell."

The two women disappeared into the night. Xanxus glared at them before turning and leaving as well with the Varia members following after him.

Tsuna fell to his knees. "This...this can't be happening..."

"Let's go Tsuna." Reborn told the boy as Iemitsu and Basil led the way back to the house with Ashlynn tagging along with them. Gokudera, Ryohei and Yamamoto waved as they went back to their own homes. It was somber as they entered the Sawada home and only brightened when Maman poked her head out of the kitchen and Papan lifted her up into a hug. Tsuna however seemed to stay in shock even as he ate and didn't complain when Maman sent him to give the kids a bath leaving Ashlynn with Maman in the kitchen while Iemitsu and Reborn talked in the living room.

Ashlynn sighed still sitting at the table thumbing her ponytail behind her shoulder.

"Hmmm? Is something wrong Ashlynn-chan?" Nana asked putting the clean dishes away.

"My hair is getting long again. I'm thinking of cutting it so I stop picking at the split ends."

"No!"

"What?" Ashlynn startled. It was the first time she had ever heard the woman yell.

"No! Ashlynn-chan, don't cut your pretty hair!"

"Eh? But Maman, I meant a trim at the very least. I'm not going to cut it very short."

"No! Maman won't let you! Grow it out Ashlynn-chan!"

"But it keeps getting in the way and besides it will grow back."

"No. Maman forbids it!" Maman left the kitchen leaving Ashlynn to stare after her in shock.

Bianchi, Reborn, Tsuna and Fuuta peeked into the kitchen.

"What happened, Nee-chan?" Fuuta asked hoisting himself into the chair next to her.

Ashlynn blinked. "Maman got mad because I was thinking about cutting my hair. And then she forbade me from doing so..."

"Will you? Cut your hair I mean?" Tsuna asked.

"I don't think I will anymore even though it's getting longer and it will get in the way. I don't want Maman to be upset..." Ashlynn shook her head toying with the strands of her hair. 'Even if it means giving Butt Monkey Levi something to pull on...'

Iemitsu walked in smiling and leaned against the counter. "My sweet Nana loves children and she see's all of you as her kids even if we aren't related by blood."

"D-Dad..." Tsuna motioned for the man to stop.

Iemitsu patted Ashlynn's shoulder. "She's always wanted more children...and I'm sure that she sees you along with Bianchi and little I-pin as the daughters she never got the chance to really have. How do you think your mother felt when her child starts to grow up..."

"Iemitsu." Reborn warned.

"...I wouldn't know Papan. My relatives are not in this world." Ashlynn closed her eyes. 'She was sad that Flaithri was hardly ever home. She was proud, yes, but she missed him. And me...She never got to see me graduate...because to them I'm dead...'

"N-Nee-chan...?" Futa asked quietly.

Ashlynn sighed but ruffled the boy's hair as she got up from her seat to find Maman to make amends with the woman before walking home.

* * *

><p>Perhaps she shouldn't have but Ashlynn decided to skip school. She'd already missed a week and she'd no doubt miss another because of the battles and anyway Ran was still gone so it didn't really matter to her. She needed to train, sharpen her weapons, and buy groceries. And she was glad that skipping school was a great decision because as she was shopping she came across a person she wasn't expecting to see for another few days.<p>

Ashlynn smiled as she walked down the store's candy isle to a female in a green Kokuyo uniform. "Nagi?"

The girl visibly jumped and in her startled state spilled the contents of her basket on the ground. Ashlynn stooped down to help the timid girl reclaim her things and put them back into the basket.

"Hey Nagi-"

She shook her head negatively looking shyly at her feet. "I-I, don't like going by that name...anymore...I...I am called Dokuro Chrome now."

Ashlynn nodded with a small smile looking directly at the girl's now shorter hair with a tuft styled exactly like another person she knew. "Who cut your hair? Not that it's not cute or anything."

Nagi, now Chrome, consciously fingered the strands. "K-Ken cut it..."

"Ah. And how are Ken, Chikusa, and Mukuro? They are treating you well I hope?" Ashlynn asked ignoring the girl's startled gasp as she turned to grab a few small packages of taffy.

"Kufufufu. Buongiorno Principessa~."

"You insist on calling me that, Mukuro?" Ashlynn looked again and instead of Chrome holding onto the grocery basket it was Mukuro.

"Your reaction to it is amusing. I daresay it is a cross between being flattered and mild annoyance."

"Hmmph" Ashlynn walked down the isle towards the fruits and vegetables with Mukuro barely a step behind. "...So I am guessing that it was Nagi that you found interesting before you found my dreaming."

"You could tell she was associated with me?"

"Ken cut her hair to make it look just like yours. And she called herself 'Dokuro Chrome'. Is that an anagram I hear in there?"

"So insightful. And rather observant, aren't you?"

'Only because of prior knowledge. But I won't stop you guys from thinking so~.' Ashlynn smiled primly. "So I've been told."

"What will you do about Little Chrome? I have seen images of you when she allowed me to view her memories."

"Nothing yet..." Ashlynn trailed off looking at the others basket. As expected it was only filled with junk foods and sweets. "But I will be keeping an eye out in case I need to step in. She may need another girl eventually."

"There is M.M.-"

"Yes, and from what I've heard she's a total bitch."

"Kufufufu, so protective~. Do as you wish."

Ashlynn nodded. "I will then. Maybe I'll have her over every so often and of course you as well since you can somehow switch her body for yours."

"I shall look forward to it then, Principessa. But for now, farewell." Mukuro brushed his fingers along her neck and chuckled when she jumped. "Kufufufu."

"A-ano~."

Ashlynn smiled at the girl now back in her rightful place. "Are you able to hear and see what is going on when he does that?"

Chrome nodded.

"Then I will expect you at this address every now and then when it is convenient for you or whenever you don't want to hang around Kokuyo. I certainly wouldn't hang out there in the first place, who knows what's crawling around." Ashlynn told the girl writing her address on a bit of paper and when she put it in the other girl's basket she slipped in a few money bills along with it for the girl.

"I-I..."

"You won't be a bother, if you really don't want to then that's fine. I'm sure I'll see you later Chrome. See ya~."

She didn't see anyone else during the day except for when she had to explain what was going on to Birdy and Dolly. The older woman glowered at her and smacked the back of her head for running off to train without telling them first. They had ended being told by a baby in red named Fon who was supposedly Ashlynn's teacher and Keiko.

"I'm going with you tonight."

"Are you sure?"

Dolly brought down and loaded her shotgun. "You're really asking me that? I'll go put Birdy to bed then we're leaving."

"But it's not for another two hours. We're meeting at eleven..."

"Be there at ten. We're going to your place first to make sure you have everything you need. You definitely won't be going looking like that. Are your weapons cared for?"

Ashlynn nodded and looked down at her gym shorts and t-shirt and the white arm guards from Lussuria. "Yes. And I sharpened them today. What's wrong with what I'm wearing? The guys are going in their school uniforms. And I'm not fighting tonight."

"Doesn't matter. Go put some jeans on and grab a sweater." Dolly told her leading Birdy into bed and kissing the little girl goodnight.

"But Dolly-"

"Go."

Ashlynn huffed but switched her shorts for pants and pulled her grey hoodie over her black shirt and white arm guards. Dolly went over her weapons with a critical eye and even though she wouldn't battle tonight she had Ashlynn bring all chakrams, the dagger strapped in under the boots she was borrowing from the woman and the hand gun strapped to her thigh.

"Ten o'clock, lets go." Dolly opened the front door with her shot gun strapped to her back and a pistol at her hip. She was wearing what she usually did. Black slacks, red wine colored shirt but left her white apron and the apartment.

They walked in silence to Namimori Junior high and stepped through the gates to the courtyard. Ashlynn waved to the Cervello sitting primly at one of the benches as she and Dolly passed them to sit at the school steps. The one in the dress inclined her head. Moments after the Varia group showed up with Squalo in the lead and they stood by the benches on the opposite side from the Cervello women.

Ashlynn smiled as her phone vibrated and looked down to see who was texting her. She glanced up at the Varia members before reading the message.

"My sweet Honey~ I want a hug~. But then Squ-chan will have a fit! It's not fair!"

Ashlynn grinned. "Sorry Luss~ *hugs*

"My Honey, you're so sweet!" Lussuria giggled at his phone.

"Are the two of you...Texting each other?" The infant asked.

Lussuria nodded ignoring Squalo's yells of outrage. "Yup! She's my sweet Honey~!"

"VOOOOI! What the Fuck Lussuria!" Squalo raged then pointed at her. "And you! You're 'Honey'!"

"Nice to finally meet you too, Squ-chan." Ashlynn's grin turned into a smirk as she snickered.

The man swung his sword wildly at the Sun Guardian. "Lussuria! Why didn't you say anything before! The Boss is going to be pissed!"

"Because that's my darling Honey and I didn't know until last night that she had the half ring~." Lussuria pouted.

Levi glowered. "Then why not after?"

"Because her files are classified to everyone save the Ninth~. All I know about her is what she's told me. So it's not my fault."

'Interesting. I didn't know I was on file...though that's not really surprising.' Ashlynn stared at the sky before looking at Dolly and stared incredulously as the woman pulled out a crossword puzzle book and a pen. 'When did she get that...?'

The Cervello women stood from their seats. "The others have arrived."

Ashlynn and Dolly stood up as well and walked to meet Tsuna along with Reborn, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei.

"Eh? You and Dolly-san came early." Tsuna observed. And then he noticed that the Varia was there as well and he recoiled in horror as they glared at him.

"Since the ones needed are here tonight we shall start."

The other woman took over. "Upon a strict conference, the days for the match ups have been decided. The first match taking place tonight: The Battle between the Guardians of the Sun."

"Thank you for gathering. Now we shall reveal the place for the battle. Please look that way." Both women pointed to the right and they found a boxing ring inside of a metal cage.

"W-whoa! A boxing ring?" Tsuna cried.

The Cervello nodded. "It is a special arena that we have prepared for the match between the Sun Guardians. We put in the traits of the Guardians into consideration and created this. However the different matches will be held in different locations of the school."

"They used quite a bit of money for this." The blonde commented. "But, the result of the match is obvious so it is a waste."

"I think it's perfect for Senpai." Yamamoto grinned.

Ryohei punched the air excitedly and took off his sweatshirt and wife beater. "This arena is my territory!"

"Arghhh, man, I'm getting nervous!" Tsuna started shaking.

Lussuria sighed. "Where is the Boss~? It's time for me to shine"

"Heh, there's no way that he'll be interested in others battles. Besides we shouldn't have accepted to have these lame battles and let me kill all of them instead. I would've annihilated them in five seconds...VOOOOI! When are you cut that glaring out!" Squalo scoffed as Levi looked away.

The blonde grinned. "It seems someone is eyeing you up, Mammon."

"I know..." Mammon, the baby, looked to Reborn. "And he's not even a Guardian. I should charge an observation fee."

"Will the Sun Guardians come to the center of the ring?" The Cervello asked.

Ryohei hit his bicep. "Don't worry so much Sawada! I've got this!"

"Hey, Tsuna? Aren't we going to form a group circle?" Yamamoto laughed.

Ryohei jumped back to where they were and grabbed them by the arms to form a circle. "That sound Passionate! I've always wanted to do that once! Lets go Sawada! Octopus Head, Yamamoto, Senpai! Circle to THE EXTREME! Dolly-san! Join us!"

"That's okay." Dolly grinned. "I'm alright over here. You kids go on ahead. I'll watch."

"You moron! Who would want to do an idiotic thing like that!" Gokudera seethed.

Between Ryohei, Yamamoto, and Ashlynn they huddled together with their arms over each others shoulders. Both Tsuna and Gokudera gaped as the other three got into it.

Ryohei and Ashlynn cheered. "RYOHEI...FIGHT!"

Then the three more athletically active Guardians yelled. "OOH!"

"O-oh~." Tsuna mumbled. Gokudera immediately tore away from them.

"Yosh!" Ryohei climbed into the ring. "My powers peaking to THE EXTREME!"

The Cervello checked both for the halves of the sun rings and nodded taking them from the Guardians, slipping them onto chains and then over each of the fighters necks. "We approve that these are the real half rings of the Sun. As a rule we will have you hang the rings around your neck. And upon defeating your opponent and taking the ring, that person will be declared the winner of the battle."

"Crap~. Are you serious?" Ashlynn mumbled grabbing at her own throat uncomfortably. 'I totally forgot about that...tomorrow is going to suck.'

Reborn and Yamamoto glanced at her but did not say anything.

"Oh! Oh Dear~!" Lusuria made a swooning motion. "Up close you look lovely! You're like totally my type! I'm am so taking you home with me! You and my sweet darling Honey~."

Gokudera coughed. "Did he mean that the way I think he meant it?"

"If you don't know then I don't want to be the one to tell you." Ashlynn murmured.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ryohei told the other male as he lifted his arms in preparation. "But, I'll just fight fairly, that's all."

Lussuria took off his coat revealing a black skin tight wife beater instead of the white button up and tie, and held his arms and right leg up. "Oh my~~ is that a pose for Boxing? How cute~. Then I, Lussuria, shall go ahead and play with you with the ultimate standing martial art, Muay Thai!"

Reborn jumped up onto Yamamoto's shoulder. "So the Varia's Sun Guardian is a fighter too, just as I thought. Looking back at all the previous members of the Family, all the Guardians of the Sun had a hard fist or foot. '_Destroying, they become the misfortune that attacks the Family with their own body, they become the Sun that brightly shines upon an area. That is the purpose of the Sun Guardian'_."

"The competitors, Lussuria VS. Sasagawa Ryohei! Begin!" The Cervello pressed a button and the cage around the ring closed and row upon row of field lights flashedon, lighting up the arena so completely that Ashlynn and the others had to shield their eyes and they weren't even inside the cage.

"I-I can't see anything!" Tsuna yelped covering his eyes with his hands. "There are too many lights! How is Onii-san supposed to fight?"

Reborn handed them a pair of sunglasses each. "Here, I'll loan you these."

"This is a coliseum lit by a fake sun." The Cervello informed them.

Ashlynn grimaced as Lussuria shot forward, no way being impeded by the glowing lights because of his sunglasses he already had on, and slammed his right knee into a flailing Ryohei's stomach.

Tsuna squealed. "That Varia guy already has sunglasses! This isn't a fair match! Quick, let's give Onii-san-"

"We will not allow you to do so, Lord Sawada." One of the Cervello looked at him. "There will be no contact with the Guardians inside the battle. Otherwise we will count it as disqualification and take away the half ring"

"N-No Way!"

"Gahh!" Ryohei yelled in frustration punching blindly as he squinted his eyes trying to look for his opponent. "Where are you!"

Lussuria charged in from the right and punched the boxer in the face sending him into the barrier ropes around the ring. Ryohei yelled as an electrical current ran through the boys body to find the ground. He fell back with his chest smoking from the burned skin.

The Cervello explained to the startled gasps on Tsuna's side. "With the electrical metal wire, the ropes are heated to several hundred degrees farenheit."

"Th-that's insane!" Tsuna yelled.

"Mmmm~ You're slowly reaching on of my ideals for a perfect body~! The ultimate beautiful sense of loveliness that I find in my line of work~ A cold, deteriorated, un-moving body~." Lussuria licked his lips.

Gokudera sweat dropped. "But, that's a dead body."

"Considering that they are assassins, Gokudera. I guess that is what they do." Ashlynn told the boy.

Ryohei punched the ground of the ring then shot forward to the sound of Lussuria's voice. "Quit joking around!"

"He hit him!" Tsuna cheered as Lussuria was knocked up into the air.

"Nope. He wanted to get hit. Lussuria's just toying with him." Mammon, said smugly.

Lussuria flipped mid air and descended back to the ground with his knee aiming for Ryohei. "Don't be like that, Hun."

'He's in the air, coming down!' Ryohei with his eyes clamped shut punched up and struck with the man's knee as he came down. "Aaaaargghhh! My arm!" Ryohei fell to his knees holding gingerly on to his forearm as blood dripped from abrasions from his muscles.

"What! What happened! Onii-san!" Tsuna yelled gripping the sides of his head. Dolly frowned.

Lussuria chuckled and moved the cloth that covered his left knee briefly to show the metal cap strapped over his pants. "Like a true Guardian of the Sun, I reflect misfortune back upon you~. My left leg has a metal cap on it and now your fist is useless."

"That's not all..." Reborn noted. "Ryohei is weakening from all the light radiation and he's dehydrating."

Tsuna gasped. "No! At this rate-!"

"Hey! Stand up!"

"C-Colonello!" Tsuna said startled as the Arcobaleno swooped down from the sky with Falco and he wearing sunglasses.

"I was caught by Kyoko so I was late...Ryohei! Stand up, kora! Go and show him your true strength!"

"Hmph, it doesn't matter who speaks, it's useless~. This boy is finished." Lussuria smirked.

Ryohei forced himself up from the ground. "...Master...Colonello...Thank you."

"He's getting back up." Dolly whistled.

Lussuria sighed in mock pity. "You really shouldn't try getting back up dearie. Nothing good will come out it. You're punches don't affect me at all."

"Yeah. It didn't affect you at all...my left one punch didn't do anything."

"Ah that's right." Reborn nodded.

Colonello smirked. "Ever since the fourth day with me he's been punching with only his left arm. It was to give the cells a rest in his right arm and make sure that it was kept in perfect condition."

"This right fist." Ryohei declared. "Exists to turn around the EXTREME disadvantages I have."

Lussuria giggled joyously. "Oh My~ That's like the best! You're so funny."

"Funny?"

"I don't know how great a punch you've been saving is...But if you can't see me then there's no point." Lussuria raised his arms and moved. It was fast that it left after images of the man as he moved around Ryohei in a circle. Lussuria knocked into him several times as Ryohei tried to regain himself and try to hit the man. Lussuria chuckled as he sent him flying across the ring again and Ryohei just barely saved himself from being electrocuted by the wires.

"Onii-san!" Tsuna yelled.

Ryohei stood back up and closed his eyes completely and listened as Lussuria danced swiftly around him. Ashlynn smiled seeing a yellow aura begin to permeate from his body.

"Ha~ So going to use your right? Remember that if you miss it will be your final moment in this world."

"...There! MAXIMUM CANNON!"

"He did it!" Tsuna cheered standing on the tips of his toes as Lussuria went flying into the air once more. "No!" he cried as Lussuria landed on his feet rubbing at his jaw but otherwise fine.

"If it was a clean hit then it would have been risky~" Lussuria smiled.

Ryohei shook his head. "No. I hit it for sure. And these ones as well!" Lussuria looked up as one by one the sections of the lights flickered from Ryohei's punches and glass fell down from above. Ryohei smiled opening his eyes. "Looks like I'll be able to fight more fairly because I can see."

"Heh, Lawn Head actually did it!" Gokudera smirked lighting up a cigarette ti Ashlynn's displeasure.

Lussuria shrugged. "Whether you have your eyes open or not, I really don't care. What's unbelievable is the technique to take out the lights with the power of your fists...hmmm? Is that sand coming from you...? Oh~ that's not sand at all. Salt crystals... I see now. It's because of the sweat produced from dehydration. The water evaporated because of the heat from the lights and what was left was salt. Then you put the salt crystals on your fists and punched."

"S-Salt crystals?" Yamamoto asked.

Ryohei ran forward throwing punches. "Even if you've figured that out it's too late now!"

"Ohohohoho! Don't make me laugh so much! The reason why I was a little worried was I thought that you had cracked the lights with the power of your fists. Since the only person to ever be able to throw a glowing punch was the first generation's Sun Guardian. But cheap little trick like this? Anyone can pull it off." Lussuria threw a punch in the boy's direction and the lights behind Ryohei flickered dead.

Gokudera gaped. "He grazed the salt crystals off of Lawn Head and used the same attack?"

"No, it takes more technique than that. He blew the salt off of Ryohei's body with the power of his fist. That's what you call Varia quality."

"Varia quality?" Dolly asked the baby on their side.

Reborn nodded taking off his glasses followed by everyone else as the lights weren't blaring anymore. "The Varia takes on missions that are deemed impossible for normal human beings to accomplish. They are a group of genius assassins that complete their objectives to perfection regardless of the situation they are put in. Their so-called demonic works or high leveled skills in killing, it is considered 'Varia Quality' by those who are astonished."

"That's Reborn for you~ Putting it so eloquently." Lussuria clapped his hands. "Don't you realize the gap between us? This is merely a game for me, not a true battle."

"Heh, say whether it's a game when you accept my right fist. Besides I won't know myself unless I try!"

"Geez, you just don't give up~ Well, I guess it's more fun this way anyway."

Colonello smirked. "Well said, Ryohei. That's my disciple, kora! But, the Maximum Canon, it's a skill that requires you to release all of the energy in every cell of your body. Your energy wasn't fully transmitted through your there is a chance of winning then it will be that. Concentrate you energy to your fists, kora."

"Got it! Let's go TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled moving out of the way of the Muay Thai users knees and threw his own punches in retaliation stalling a little for time to charge his fist. "There, I see you!" Ryohei attacked the man and at the very last second the man brought his metal knee to hit against Ryohei's right hand.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Tsna yelled. "Oh No! Onii-san!"

"Onii-san!"

"Wh-what! Kyoko-chan! Hana! What are you doing here!" Tsuna gulped as the girl brushed passed him to the edge of the cage. Ashlynn cursed as she pulled the girl back in case the Cervello had also allowed electric current to run through the cage surrounding the ring. The girl struggled a few moments but between her and Dolly they pulled her between them.

"Onii-chan! What are you doing? You're covered in blood! You promised me you wouldn't fight anymore!" The girl cried.

"Kyoko! This looks dangerous! Let's get out of here!" Hana hissed.

"Oh?" Lussuria looked out from inside the ring. "You're this boy's little sister? Sorry sweetheart but we're in a battle and he is going to die~."

"Sorry, the girls came looking so I ended up escorting them here." Iemitsu walked towards Tsuna.

Ryohei stood on his feet. "Sorry Kyoko. I did promise but that wasn't the only thing I said! ...I won't lose! I'll show you! This is the true..."

"Geez, now you're becoming annoying. Time to end this." Lussuria leaped forward and met the boxer with his knee outstretched.

"MAXIMUM CANNON!"

Ryohei's fist once again slammed against the metal knee cap. But this time wit the full effects of the Maximum cannon the metal cracked and shattered through the cap and into the man's skin tearing through the ligaments in a spray of blood. Lussuria fell backwards onto his back holding onto the bloody joint.

"Looks like the match is over. Lussuria won't be able to defend himself from the kid any longer" Mammon told the goliath robotic man.

"Heh. you're fist appeared to be glowing. Good job, Kora. Well then, let's go home, Kyoko! I'm sleepy!" Colonello pulled on the girl's hand herding her and Hana off campus.

"But Colonello-kun! Onii-chan-!"

"It's alright, the match is over and there are plenty adults on our side to take care of things. There is nothing to worry about, kora." He placated her.

Ryohei turned back to Lussuria when Hana and his sister disappeared with Mater Colonello, he outstretched his arm. "It was a tense and EXTREME battle but the win is mine. Hand over the ring, please."

Lussuria stiffened and swiftly brought himself back up leaning all is wait on his right leg and raised his arms and laughed nervously. "No! I'm not defeated yet, dear. Come let's continue! Hurry now!"

"Eh? What are you in a rush about...?" Still, Ryohei brought his fists up but more than a little confused. Then his eyes widened as bangs rang out and Lussuria fell face first into the glass filled arena with holes torn through his back. He looked up and saw the largest man with his face covered and his fingertips smoking.

Tsuna's eyes widened in horror. "He...why did he...that was his comrade..."

" 'Erasing the weak'. It's one of the reasons that the Varia is so feared. It's why Lussuria was so anxious to continue the battle." Reborn said, his hat shadowing the top of his face.

"No..no way..."

"Hey! Lussuria! Are you alright! Hey!" Ryohei stepped forward but was stopped by the Cervello women. "What are you doing?"

The other woman bent down and took the ring around the fallen man's neck. "At this moment Lussuria of the Varia can no longer continue the battle. Therefore Sasagawa Ryohei is the victor of the scramble battle for the ring of the Sun."

"This is the end of tonight's match-up. But from now on after the battle we shall announce the competitors of the next battle." The other woman announced.

"VOOOOOII! LET ME GO NEXT!" Squalo demanded.

"If I may continue?" The woman merely stared at the Varia side. "Tomorrow's evening battle will be...the match between the Guardians of Ligthning. We shall meet here tomorrow evening. Until then, farewell." The Cervello pressed the controls so the cage opened and the two left after giving Ryohei the other half of the Sun ring. The large man of the Varia swooped into the ring and grasped Lussuria's un-moving body and disappeared with the rest of the group save for Levi who stayed a few moments glowering at Ashlynn who raised an eyebrow back until the man huffed and left.

'I'm not going to lose to you, Butt Monkey.' Ashlynn turned back to the group and found Tsuna looking at her worriedly. She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry Tsuna. It'll be fine. I didn't laze around this past week."

"But-"

"Kyoko-chan! Come back!"

They both looked as Kyoko ran back onto campus and stopped directly in front of Tsuna despite Hana's pleading. The poor girl looked up at Tsuna with tears in her eyes. "Tsuna-kun. Will you please tell me the truth? What on Earth is Onii-san being involved in?"

"A hybrid Sumo wrestling match that takes place in different rings." Reborn smiled. "It's secretly getting popular. And today's match was a good one."

Yamamoto and Gokudera nodded in agreement.

Ryohei wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder. "I told you it was a sumo match Kyoko."

"I'm sorry for not believing you, Onii-san."

"It's alright. Oh, here Sawada, I'll hand this over to you." The boxer connected the two half pieces together and tossed the ring to the boy.

"Put it in the Ring box, Tsuna." Reborn told him.

Kyoko stared at the piece of jewelry. "What is the ring for?"

Ashlynn smiled. "It's a new sort of trophy that's also becoming popular. Kinda like a class ring that some people get the last year in high school except these ones are for the Hybrid Sumo wrestling. It's so there's more space in showcases. You can fit a lot more if it's just displays of rings than big hulking trophies, right?"

"Oh! That makes a lot of sense."

Tsuna sighed. 'She totally bought it!'

'This is very suspicious...and even Sawada's older sister is in on it!' Hana frowned as she left with Kyoko and her brother. Yamamoto waved as he offered to walk Ashlynn and Dolly home (To the woman's amusement) while Gokudera after going a bit of the way with Tsuna, Reborn and Iemitsu.

Yamamoto ruffled her hair as they walked into the apartment complex. "We've got one win so far so let's keep the ball rolling! I'll see you tomorrow Ashlynn!"

"See ya!"

Dolly pointed to Ashlynn's apartment. "To bed with you. You're the one up next so make sure you actually sleep."

"Yeah, yeah. Night Dolly."

* * *

><p>~I've been listening to the Character songs for KHR (While looking for the first concert that the Japanese voice actors did [Apparently they cosplayed as the characters they voiced as!])~ Oh sweet Gods, Adult Reborn's voice is teh Smex!<p>

~I'm thinking of waiting until after the Ring battles to start the top five voting~. And another note, I have a page here that I'm using to keep track of all the votes, because along with the actual votes on the poll, there are some readers who do not have accounts and they either review or private message me their votes~.


	17. Chapter 17

November 14th. Happy Birthday Levi. LOL.

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><p><strong>"Lord, be between us and harm and protect us from the harm of the world."<strong>

**- Irish prayer said during Thunder and Lightning**

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><p>Ashlynn found it awfully convenient that it started raining when she got up the next morning. She took the care as she always did whenever there was a chance of a thunderstorm: Gather all her sheets and light blankets and cover every reflective surface in her home Much to Fon's (Who had stayed the night in her apartment) curiosity but did not say anything.<p>

"Cherry~ I'm here! Oh, sweetie, what are you...doing?" The lock on her front door beeped and the door opened.

Ashlynn looked up and towards the front door where Keiko was removing her shoes before stepping into the living room. She smiled and continued to cover the small mirror that hung on the wall. "It's one of the old Irish traditions that my Grandmother Aine lived and swore by. Whenever there was even the smallest chance of a thunderstorm, she would cover all of the mirrors and basically anything big enough that could cast a reflection...I never asked what she believed would happen if she didn't do this. I just went along with (along with a few other things I never fully understood) and helped her because if Gran was in a superstitious mood, which was very often, I didn't want to upset her because I didn't understand most of the things she did."

"Alright." Keiko allowed. "But then why are you doing it now?"

Ashlynn shrugged her shoulders pulling out a chair to stand on to tack a sheet over the sliding glass door. "It was like tradition for her and force of habit for me now. And it's calming me. This is the last one, can you hand me that tack there?"

"Oh, well guess that's a good thing then." Keiko handed her the tack and held onto the chair to keep it steady and helped her down. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Bye Fon!"

"Until tonight, Miss Ashlynn."

Instead of training until she prepared for the night like she had initially planned, Fon had insisted that she take the day and do something else. Perhaps check on the other Guardians who were no doubt training the day away. She ended up agreeing because it was impossible to say no when he looked at her like that. So she'd go to Fukano's and put in a few hours of work, bring home some sweet things then maybe make lunch for the guys.

Though she had calmed some from the old ritual of covering things in her home, Ashlynn couldn't help but be a little jumpy and she kept looking at the clock on the wall. That was strange because usually it was everyone else that were jumpy because of Hibari, but since the prefect hadn't been at the bakery in over a week the store and its employees brightened because they hadn't the prefect to worry about coming into the back room. She sighed and focused on the cupcake batter in front of her and beat the mixture by hand with her frustration at her anxiety. It helped and it kept the other employees from asking her the reason why Hibari wasn't around and they wondered to themselves (thanks to Boss Lady's gushing whenever the Ashlynn and Hibari were in the same room) if the 'couple' had a lovers quarrel and they were avoiding each other. But then why was she still wearing the red band that every member of the prefects wore?

Not knowing of her peers thoughts Ashlynn set in the clean her utensils letting water fall onto the silverware and bowls then washing with soap, drying, and bringing them back to her station.

'..._Sigh_, I'm too nervous. And it's just Butt Monkey Levi...who beat Lambo...so I have no idea what is going to happen. Worst case scenario, Levi kicks my ass thus causing Tsuna to jump in forfeiting both of our rings. Best case scenario: I win the ring battle...then...I have no freaking idea...do I lose just so the story line stays on track? Would it matter? Man, this sucks. I don't want to lose."

She sighed starting on the frosting. 'I wouldn't mind being super lucky and totally beating Levi ...and it wouldn't be too bad if Tsuna got some good luck...Dino too. That man sorely needs it. Especially when Romario and the other men aren't around. Hell our whole group could do well with some good luck.

She pulled out the pans and tapped them and the paper cups gently out of the pan and began to frost. Then when all were covered with sugary goodness she set the majority on a tiered platter and carefully walked out to the front to put them on top of the display cases. The rest she cased them in a box and labeled them with a red sticker.

"Hey, your shifts just about over." One of the older girls called after her as she was cleaning up again.

"Thanks!" Ashlynn took off and put away her apron and wiped the surface of her work station. Grabbed the box of cupcakes and walked out of the back room to the front door. She allowed a small group of teenagers go ahead of her and thanked the one who held the door open for her and was eating one of the cupcakes she had put out. She stayed underneath the patio covering to open her umbrella and gasped when the boy that had kept the door opened for her yelled and fell down a man sewer hole and his friends crowding and screamed for someone to help. She dropped the umbrella and opened the door of the bakery back up.

"Boss Lady!" She yelled.

The woman burst out the hallway that lead to her office and. "What is it? What happened."

Ashlynn held up the box in her hands then motioned outside. "A boy took one of the cupcakes I made...he fell down a man sewer...you don't think...?"

Keiko joyously clapped her hands together despite that a person just injure himself. "Oh! That's wonderful, sweetheart! You should go find Bianchi to make sure, okay? You go on ahead dear, I'll catch up with you later."

"...Um, okay. Yeah, that'd be smart. See ya Boss Lady." Ashlynn murmured stepping back out into the rain and picked up her abandoned umbrella and started walking towards one of the nearby restaurants for food.. It was only then that she realized that she had no idea where exactly Bianchi, or the boys could be. So she forewent buying food just yet and ended up stopping at her apartment to set everything down before calling Tsuna's phone.

"Ciaossu Ashlynn."

"Hey Reborn. Do you know where Bianchi is? I don't have her phone number." Ashlynn asked the Hitman.

"She is near our location with Romario observing Dino and Hibari and by the sounds of things Gokudera and Shamal, and the stupid cow followed us here. From starting at the building you and Bianchi use it is about seven miles southwest. Shall we expect you?"

Ashlynn hummed. "Yeah, Fon has me on a break so I went to work this morning. Keiko and I think we may have had a break through with some of my cupcakes so I'm going to bring them to her so she can test them. Have all of you eaten yet? I can pick something up before heading out."

"It would be smart to bring things in a thermos with this weather. I would like espresso. I'll pay you back later Ashlynn."

"Soups then? Alright, I know a little cafe that can do that~. I'll see you later Reborn."

"Ciao."

Ashlynn hung up her phone. 'Seven miles~. I can run to that cafe, get food and espresso and hot chocolate, come back here put everything in my old backpack hold the cupcakes and run there. I just might be able to get there from an hour and a half to two hours...it's three o'clock right now...'

She set out for the food run and gunned it through the rain to the cafe and back home before roughing it (once more) through the wilderness with her ears straining to hear Tsuna. The boy could be such a good direction indicator. And within two hours she found herself hiking up a hill to the very top with Tsuna's voice leading her in the right direction.

She smiled as she came upon Tsuna on his knees as the Dying Will Flame at his brow vanished into the air. She called out to him, Reborn, Basil and Gokudera. "Who wants food?"

"Hiiiiie! A-Ashlynn! What are you doing here? And ! Why are you wearing that!" Tsuna yelled and pointed fearfully at her arm where she had pinned the red band that she had gotten from Hibari.

"Oh, you just noticed? I've been wearing it for a while now, Tsuna. Hibari threw it at me one morning and told me to keep an eye on the high school. Do you want a red armband of leadership, Tsuna? I'll try to get you one if you really want it. It'll probably say 'Herbivore' though and you won't exactly free reign for anything because of it."

Reborn stared at her. "Oh? He gives you free reign to do as you wish?"

"No. I'm just seen as an outside force still affiliated with him. The day I walked on campus with it on I'm sure a few of the students fainted because they thought that they had escaped from Hibari-san when they moved up from the Junior high and now they have someone that keeps contact with him without being seriously hurt."

'Because Ashlynn is on the same level as Hibari-san. Brave too, to be able to train with him on near daily basis.' Tsuna looked up. "Hey Ashlynn?"

"Yeah?"

"You normally train with Hibari-san the most but he's with Dino-san. Who is tutoring you?"

Reborn smirked as Ashlynn handed him a cup of espresso. "He is an old comrade named Fon. And he's had nothing to say but good things about your progress, Ashlynn. Good job."

Ashlynn nodded pleased with herself as she told them what she brought with her and a very stern warning that the box with the red sticker was poison cooking that Bianchi was supposed to check and they were not to even touch the box if they wanted to live.

"Fnn, here they come~." Reborn pointed to one of the sides of the cliff where Dino, Hibari, Romario, and Bianchi were hiking up the hill. And shortly after them Gokudera showed up alone without Shamal.

"I've got soups and hot chocolate here, with this weather anything else would have gone cold. Just don't touch the box with the red sticker on it." Ashlynn told them as she passed everything out and everyone took cover under the nearby trees as they ate, Hibari not surprisingly sat the farthest away from them. She paused when Basil stepped in front of her after he set down the meal she had brought.

"Art thou Lady Ashlynn?" Basil asked her. When she nodded affirmative he dropped to one knee before her, grasped her hand gently and brushed his lips across her knuckles. "My Lady, I thank thee for thine noble efforts in aiding me and guarding over Lord Sawada and for bringing us sustenance in this bleak weather."

"You're very welcome, Basil." Ashlynn grinned feeling a slight blush on her cheeks.

Gokudera snorted. "What a kiss-ass-"

Romario chuckled, then said teasingly, "Got some competition there Boss."

"Shut up Romario." Dino sighed and ate his meal and peeked into the box Ashlynn brought along and grinned at the small, frosting covered cakes within.

"Gokudera, kindly shut your face. He's on one knee calling me a lady~." Ashlynn smiled then turned as Basil returned to his feet. The good humor wiped off her face and turned into horror when she saw Dino with the box opened at his feet and a half eaten cupcake in his hand. And Bianchi was nowhere near him. "Dino! No!" Ashlynn yelled horrified and raced to snag the box out of Dino's hands and quickly gave it to Bianchi before anyone else got any stupid ideas. "You stupid, stupid man! Did you not hear me! I clearly said not to touch the box! Why on Earth did you think it was a good idea to go ahead and do it anyway!"

"Wh-what?" The male took a half step back in shock. It was the first he'd ever seen Ashlynn so upset over something that seemed trivial. It also didn't really help that everyone was staring at him in various degrees of shock. "Well, was there something wrong with them? It tastes fine-." He paused for another bite and swallowed to Ashlynn's growing terror. "Oh, were you going to surprise us with them? I'm sorry I ruined it for you-"

"The box had my version of poison cooking that Bianchi was going to test! We finally have some success with it and you, you, You-! Idiot! Do you have a death wish, Dino! Do you want to be the God damned third!"

Dino eyes flashed at the last mention though everyone save for him, Romario, and Reborn had no idea what she was referring to. "Ashlynn, I'm sure it's fine. It could have been a fluke-"

"The guy that initially tested it, without knowing, fell down a man-hole sewer. And. People. Were. Screaming!" Ashlynn covered her face with her hands and sunk down on the ground.

"S-so...that means that..." Tsuna trailed off, his face and Gokudera's growing pale at the implications.

"I killed Dino!" She cried. 'Fuck! This can't be happening! I just single handedly killed one of the most important characters in the series!'

Dino pried at her fingers. "No! No you didn't! See? I'm fine! Ashlynn!"

"You say that now but watch! The second Romario is gone you'll probably choke or you'll trip and fall off the stupid cliff or-!"

"A-Aneue's crying!" Lambo screeched, tearing up himself and pulled out the Ten Year Bazooka.

"Lambo no!" Tsuna yelled trying to pull the weapon out of the younger boy's hands. They fell to the ground, the ten year bazooka ricocheted out of their grip and shot itself pointed directly at Ashlynn engulfing her figure in pink smoke.

Reborn sipped from his cup. "Interesting. This will be the first time that we'll be meeting the Ashlynn from the future..."

The pink smoke cleared away from where Ashlynn had been swallowed by the ten year bazooka. Tsuna moved his arm away from covering his face from the onslaught of smoke and looked for the future, who he hoped was still alive in the future, guardian. Everyone's eyes widened in different levels of shock when they saw the girl-no the woman that was sitting where Ashlynn had previously was. She was wearing a man's white, long sleeved, button up shirt with only three buttons closed, her dark green bra was visible through the white shirt and the sleeves covered her hands. She was also wearing a pair of really short, dark blue pajama bottoms. She was barefoot and her messy honeyed colored hair rested behind her just above mid back. But what drew the most attention was the modest diamond ring and silver ring on her left hand, and the faint scars they could see on the woman's legs and the palms of her hands.

The woman covered her mouth as she yawned, she stood up from the ground and raised her arms into the air as she stretched, unknowingly showing off a toned tummy and a pierced belly button to the group in front of her. She sleepily (and cutely) rubbed at her eyes as she adjusted from being in a dark and comfortably warm room to being outside where it was cold and raining, she shivered and rubbed at her arms.

"What's...going on...?"

"A-Ashlynn?" Tsuna ventured nervously. Was this really Ashlynn from the future?

She perked when he called her name and seemed to realize that she wasn't alone and that she obviously must have gone back in time. Her face lit up with a happy smile and brought Tsuna into a hug. The boys' face was nestled into her c-cupped breasts. He blushed and tried to wriggle out of her grasp but only succeeded in being nestled further into her chest.

"Tsuna~." The woman laughed heartily and pulled back to get a good look at his very bewildered face. She poked his nose playfully before she crushed him back into a hug and outright purred. "Oh, Tsuna, I forgot that there was a time that you were shorter than me! Haha!"

"Hahi! Who is this scandalous woman holding onto Tsuna-san!"

"Hiiiie! Haru came back again!" Tsuna squirmed.

The older Ashlynn rolled her eyes but released Tsuna from her hold on him. He stepped back a few steps and quickly shook his head. Ashlynn was staring at Haru intently as she buttoned up her night shirt. "Hunh, it's a little Haru-Haru. And she's still jumping madly into conclusions. How cute."

"Hahi! How do you know Haru's name! And you addressed me so informally, I don't know who this indecent person is!" Haru who just arrived, still in her school uniform, cried in alarm and hid behind Tsuna and shivered with fear.

The time traveler shrugged not at all bothered by the younger girl's antics and looked around. "Hmm, this place...Ten years ago..."

"We are preparing for the ring battles." Reborn supplied.

She nodded. "Aa, I remember this place. And I remember I was excited to see Bianchi and was basking in my inadverdent awesomeness. And then Dino had to ruin it by being a moron by eating from the box when I explicitly told you all not to."

Dino sighed.

She glared at him. "I was very upset Dino. I genuinely though that I had killed you, proxy by my cooking or not. Be happy that you come away from this with your life. And no, you will not live this down because this isn't going to be the last time that you do this."

"You knew what I was going to ask..." The Cavallone Boss dropped his head to his chest.

"Omnivore. How is that that you look older?" Hibari growled well enough away from the crowd but close enough to hear them.

Reborn nodded. "Aa, this is Hibari's first time seeing time travel. That idiot cow there has what is called the Ten Year Bazooka. It's function is to switch the person shot with it with their ten years later self for the period of five minutes. Our present Ashlynn will return back to us momentarily."

"That's it! We could use the Ten Year Bazooka!" Tsuna cheered.

Ashlynn shook her head instantly understanding what he was referring to. "No you cannot."

"Eh? But why not? This is dangerous! And it's your fight tonight!"

"It's because of many things, Tsuna. It could be considered against the rules for one. Or the Varia could call on it and have the bazooka used on them as well. Now, would you rather fight them as they are now or their even more stronger versions from the future? No, you wouldn't. And another thing you'll have to take in account, Tsuna, if your present me dies then I, from the future, won't exist anymore.

"So you win the battle for the ring?"

"You can't be certain of that either. There is also the off chance that I could die before then and my body will no longer come back in this time...well, I actually don't know about that because my corpse _could_ pop up but that would obviously be no good in a fight..."

"Y-your corpse! Why are you so laid back about this!" Tsuna cried grabbing at the sides of his head.

"Haha, the future you says the same thing~."

Gokudera patted her shoulder gaining her attention. "Future Ashlynn...in the future...have I successfully become the Juudaime's right hand man?"

"I can't tell you." She told him bluntly.

The silveret flinched. "B-but why! Do I... do I fail!"

"I cannot tell you because it is too specific. Believe me, anything can happen or not happen between your present and my present. Here's a good example:"Ashlynn lifted her shirt up and turned to the side to show off what they had earlier missed when their attention had been held by the piercing.

A little baby bump in her tummy.

She let go of her shirt and wrapped her arms around herself. "That may never happen because something was changed here. Hell, I could end up as someone else's wife for that matter and I from the future would never realize the change."

Dino whistled taking off his jacket and offering it to her. "Your husband certainly didn't waste time getting you pregnant. I don't suppose you'd tell us who he is even if it is possible it could change?"

"Nope. Not telling. Keep the jacket Dino otherwise you won't see it again for another ten years when I switch back. I'll be gone in less than two minutes anyway." Ashlynn told him.

Tsuna still a little disappointed that the older and definitely more stronger Ashlynn wouldn't fight for her present self, wondered out loud. "But we know that it's on the same date that Bianchi held her wedding with Reborn."

"Give or take a day if it was held out of Japan." Dino nodded.

"It's about time." Ashlynn said and after a moment of thought she laughed then fished into her younger self's backpack and found a few pieces of scratch paper and an almost dead pen inside. She wrote a small note folded it, then wrote her name on the top. When she finished she handed it to Tsuna with a grin on her face. "Don't worry so much Tsuna, you'll give yourself indigestion. See ya~ and good _luck." _She smiled at them one last time as she switched back to her present self a flash of smoke.

The present Ashlynn coughed and waved away the smoke. "Man that was trippy~."

"You alright, Ashlynn?" Dino asked.

She glowered at him, her eyes were a little red.

"Umm, she left this for you." Tsuna handed over the folded pieces of paper from the Future Ashlynn.

"She did?" Ashlynn unfolded the paper and stared at the message written to her from the future.

"What did she write?"

Ashlynn recited the message out loud. "'Dear Me, Don't be a Dumbass. Love, future You.' ...Thank you for your infinite wisdom future self. I will keep this message close to my heart."

"Do you know what she meant?"

"Tsuna, she said 'Don't be a Dumbass'. How clearer is that supposed to get?" Ashlynn asked the boy stuffing the message into her pocket. He shrugged.

Reborn finished his drink. "What happened while in the future?"

"I was really weird this time around because I had my eyes open (I shut them last time. No idea why). It was night time, I was in a bed and it was dark. So I turned on a light and went wandering the house/ manor place I was in. I was just about to open a door where a lot of noise was coming from and then I switched back. Nothing really special in my first experience into the future." Ashlynn regaled her uneventful tale of wonder.

"How fascinating." Reborn said dryly.

She grinned picking up the trash as mostly everyone was about finished and put it in her bag. "Bianchi? Are they...?

"Hmmm," Bianchi took a bite out of a cupcake and chewed thoughtfully. "It doesn't give off the appearance or odor of poison. Like I sometimes do to differentiate my cooking from Maman's lovely dishes. But...there is something there...Romario. Would you mind stepping a ways down the hill out of sight? I'd like to check something."

"Oh Brighid, I can't watch this..." Ashlynn groaned. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Romario looked a bit hesitant but after Dino nodded he shrugged and went out of sight. Bianchi pulled out a hand gun and aimed it at Dino's head. Ashlynn gasped as the woman pulled the trigger at the Boss, she covered her eyes not wanting to see the gore that was no doubt the used to be the man's head. There was a gasp from Tsuna and she hesitantly peeked through her fingers to find that...

"Oh, a five hundred yen piece." Dino stooped down, completely unharmed to pick up the money coin.

'He's fine...?' Ashlynn gaped. 'But Romario's gone and this is present Dino... so he hasn't fully accepted that his clumsiness comes from his men's absence. And he's not at the point where he could fight or do anything really with his family out of his sight. Bianchi, what are you doing?'

The woman launched herself at the Boss sending punches in kicks at him and Dino was efficiently dodging and countering them. After a few minutes Bianchi stopped with an even more thoughtful look and gave her verdict. "Definitely something there. If I didn't know better I would say outright that it is love that is keeping you alive right now, Cavallone Dino."

Dino blushed. "Not this again."

"Future Ashlynn didn't say it outright but she had emphasized the word 'Luck'." Reborn pointed out. "The first tester fell down a man sewer and Dino, the second, was able to fight with Romario out of his sight and found money on the ground."

Bianchi nodded and linked her arms with Ashlynn's. "Come along Ashlynn there is still time before your battle. We shall test these on the masses of Namimori. Did you make anymore?"

"At Keiko's shop though she probably put them away. She said that she'd catch up~. And hey, can I have your phone number? I had to call Tsuna's and talk to Reborn earlier to find where you were."

And test they did. Bianchi had someone set up a stand an laid out all of the cupcakes she had made during her shift on a table under a patio with a sign that said 'Free Cupcakes for Free~'. And while people were coming up to take a cupcake Ashlynn, Bianchi, and Keiko were watching from the second story rooftop of the building across the cupcake stand. Bianchi and Keiko were eating the cupcakes that were in the box Ashlynn had packed them in underneath a large umbrella.

"That one there." Keiko pointed. A man had taken a cupcake and took a few bites as he walked away. He tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and fell to the ground, his face smashing into the little pastry.

Bianchi pointed at another as she wrote down each misfortune that befell everyone who ate Ashlynn's cupcakes. Another man, this time he ate the whole cupcake washed it down with his own coffee at the stand and threw away the wrapper around the bottom in the garbage before walking away. The brunette male had a dog piss on his leg, he spilled what was left of his drink on the front of his clothes, and when someone down the street called for the female that was just walking by the brunette male she turned around swiftly, her heavy handbag hitting him in the nads.

Ashlynn winced in sympathy. "Ouch."

"Yep, he's going to have an interesting story to tell when his day is over." Keiko agreed.

Bianchi motioned to the stand again as three figures in bright raincoats and umbrellas to shield against the cold went up to the tables. "It's Kyoko, Haru, and I-pin."

Ashlynn waited with bated breath as the three girls ate a cupcake each then walked down the street to another stand where a lucky draw was being held. Each girl took a turn at the wheel and Keiko whistled when a man's voice, no doubt in charge of the stand, yelled happily.

"Eighth, Ninth and Tenth place! Congratulation!"

Bianchi wrote down in her notebook. "That's pretty lucky~. There are only ten really good prizes plus one grand prize. The rest are coupons and small games and toys. I've seen enough today and there are only a few of the cupcakes left. Now that we have seen what to expect from the end result we'll have to find what triggered it."

"Also see how long the effects last." Keiko said looking over her shoulder.

Ashlynn checked the time then stood. "I've got to get going."

"Here sweetheart. A hug and kiss for good luck~." Keiko laughed kissing her cheek and the two women sent her off home to meet with Dolly in her apartment. But unlike the night before, she changed into a pair of dark grey sweat pants that she bunched at her knees, a tank top underneath her long sleeved shirt and her best running shoes in favor of jeans and boots.

"Why aren't you bringing the gun?" Dolly asked as Ashlynn put on the white arm guards then her jade bracelets and smaller chakrams over it. Fon was waiting on top of the island counter in the kitchen with Richie.

"I don't like using it and it's metal." Ashlynn told her as she pulled her hoodie over her head.

"So. You still have metal on you anyway."

"It's raining and because this is a battle to become the Lightning Guardian I have no doubts that there will be something to do with lightning. Metal and lightning is a very painful mix so I'm not going to wear more than I have to. Which means no jeans because of the zipper and button, no zip up jacket, and no earrings or any other sort of metallic jewelry besides this," Ashlynn held up her hand showing the half ring. "A chain that they are going to make me wear around my neck, and my weapons. So I'm down playing how much damage I could get if I don't channel that electricity immediately out of my body."

"You mafia and your magics."

Ashlynn grinned granting Richie a stroke on the top of his head. "I said sort of the same thing to Tsuna a while back in our scuffle with Mukuro."

Dolly sighed and gave a curious glance around the girl's home. Once again a bunch of things were covered by sheets and blankets. She shook her head and held the door open and after locking it up behind them they walked together under Dolly's umbrella to Namimori Junior with Fon on Ashlynn's shoulder, one hour before the battle was set to begin.

Ashlynn knew that Levi had been there an hour already before her. But she actually wanted to wait for Tsuna and the others to show up so they could do the cheer huddle.

The Cervello women were in raincoats so it was hard to tell which was which, nodded their greeting as she and Dolly walked onto campus. The one in the dress spoke. "Meagher Ashlynn of Sawada Tsunayoshi's group, as you are also early we will go ahead and check the authenticity of the ring and you will wear on it a chain."

"Alright." Ashlynn allowed the female to do as she said. Though she did scowl at the chain that she was given to put around her neck. Ashlynn did so but immediately began tugging on it.

Dolly lightly smacked the top of her head and murmured into her ear. "I know you don't like it but you'll have to bear with it for tonight. Knock it off before your opponent realizes that you are uncomfortable with things around your neck."

Ashlynn sighed but stopped and tugged her hair into a tighter ponytail. "Is he here already?"

"Your opponent, Levi A Than, has been on standby at the selected arena for over an hour now. Look there." The Cervello pointed. "The battlefield for the Lightning ring will be held on top of the roof. There is another hour before the battle is to start or until the majority of family members have appeared for each side."

"Wonderful~. That means I get to have a cheer huddle." Ashlyn smiled stepping with Dolly and Fon into the building that was being used for the battle and waited on the bottom steps of the inside stairway for the rest of her Family to arrive.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was worried.<p>

And afraid.

And jittery.

And a bunch of other things that basically meant the same thing, he felt it, and he wondered for the millionth time; why was this happening? Why did he have to fight against these terrifying people? Why did his friends have to be dragged in to fight as well? Why hadn't Dad just given over the rings to the Varia's leader? He hadn't like any of the answers that Reborn had given him.

And so he left his house at night with Reborn to find Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, and Onii-san with his arm in a sling, all wearing rain jackets and carried umbrellas with them. Their walk to the school was in somber silence as rain fell hard from the sky and every so often there would a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.

Tsuna sighed.

Reborn scoffed. "You're acting like she's dead already."

"B-but! She could end up that way! Any of us could!" Tsuna argued.

"Fnn, you should have a little more faith." Reborn admonished.

Ryohei nodded as they passed the school gates. "Yeah! Senpai is one of the best out of all of us! I believe she will win! But she needs it then we'll jump in to help her! Just leave it to us Sawada!" Yamamoto and Gokudera nodded.

"Actions such as that will result in an immediate disqualification. Along with that, any and all who interfere with the battle and the competitor will forfeit their rings." The Cervello appeared in front of one of the buildings.

"Hiiiiie! Are you serious!" Tsuna cried.

They nodded then pointed at the roof of the building in front of them. There was a flash that illuminated the area and revealed the, many tall pronged rods atop of the roof as the tallest in the middle was struck by lightning. "That is the battleground for the Lightning ring."

"O-on the roof?" Tsuna gaped.

"The members of the Varia and both contestants are awaiting your arrival. Please make your way up to the top."

Yamamoto blinked. "She came early?"

"She and Dolly-san were here before us last night too." Gokudera opened the front door.

"So you guys are all here?"

"Dolly-san! Ashlynn!" Tsuna spotted the two plus an infant with a glowing red pacifier around his neck with a white baboon. "Ano, who's that? Another... Arcobaleno?"

Reborn nodded to the other Arcobaleno, his own pacifier glowing a bright yellow. "Fon. How was Ashlynn while in your care?"

"It was a pleasurable experience as her tutor. Miss Ashlynn soared above mine and Miss Keiko's expectations. Thank you, Reborn, for allowing me the opportunity for such an attentive pupil." Fon nodded his head.

Ashlynn smiled pleased as she reached for the chain around her neck again. Dolly smacked her head again before jerking her head upwards and the woman lead them up the stair case and out the door on the highest level. Lightning flashed and struck the middle tower and revealed a glaring Levi waiting on the opposite side of the roof in the rain. Tsuna squealed in fright dropping his umbrella.

The Cervello appeared again, on the far right side next to the other members of the Varia save Xanxus waiting with raincoats covering their heads. One of the women stepped forward with a remote and pressed a series of buttons.

"Tonight's combat area, fitted with lightning rods for the match between the Lightning Guardians. The battleground is called 'Elettrico Circuito'." There was a deafening crack as a bolt of lightning struck the tallest rod in the middle but instead of the shock disappearing as it had the last time it struck, the charge ran down the rod into the ground and traveled across the grooves to the surrounding rods, the electric currently flowing from the top of the middle rod to the highest tips of the surrounding posts. "The Elettrico Circuito's floor has been coated many times with a powerful conductor. The lightning that strikes will be discharged into the grooves at several times its potency."

Ashlynn glanced the area completely ignoring the glaring man glaring at her. 'It looks like a spider's web...'

"But! You'll be burnt to death just by standing there!" Tsuna cried looking worriedly at Ashlynn.

Gokudera scoffed. "So they knew that a thunderstorm was going to hit so they set this up, che."

"Ashlynn Meagher, will you please step into the center if the field. Your opponent has been waiting for two hours opposed to your one." One of the women asked her.

"T-two hours!" Tsuna yelled. 'And Ashlynn was early tonight too.' Tsuna looked at the older girl. "You waited for us to get here?"

She nodded and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah~. I wanted to do that huddle thing we did yesterday."

"Hiiiie! But why!"

Ryohei grinned and grabbed Tsuna as Yamamoto and Ashlynn grabbed a protesting Gokudera.

"ASHLYNN...FIGHT!" Yamamoto and Ryohei cheered.

"OHH!

"O-oh..."

"Humph."

Dolly shook her head, a small smile on her lips, where she stayed beneath her umbrella with the two Arcobaleno.

Levi growled. "Let's get this over with."

"Whatever Butt Monkey." Ashlynn grumbled before leaving the huddle. Fon shook his head amused as Dolly and Reborn smirked while Gokudera and Yamamoto bit their cheeks to stifle their laughter. Ryohei cheered her on and Tsuna gaped as she walked away.

"W-what did she say?" Tsuna sputtered.

The Cervello nodded. "Then now the scramble battle for the ring of Lightning. Levi Vs Ashlynn... Begin the Battle!"

Just as the woman called for the start of the fight a boom sounded as lightning again struck the tallest pole. Both she and Levi jumped out of the currents path and once their feet touched the ground they charged pulling out weapons, Ashlynn slipping her bracelets into their larger chakram form and Levi pulling out two of the sabers from its harness. The bladed weapons met in a cross, sparks escaping as it grinding against the other blade. Ashlynn swept her at the man's legs before both jumped back to avoid being shocked by another stroke of lightning.

Ashlynn ignored the very slight tingling in her feet as she touched down sooner than the charge had disappeared. She pulled out the wire from the small compartment of the handle of one of the large rings and sent it spinning in the arc as it soared toward her target. Obviously Levi jumped over it and moved in to attack her while she only had one of the larger rings at her disposal. She blocked on saber with her remaining large chakram and redirected Levi's hand that controlled the other weapon aimed for her torso, shot her fingers into his face with a smaller chakram, as the sudden movement in his sight and the shallow cut in his cheek slowed him for only seconds but it was enough time to dive out of the way as her chakram came all the way around back to where Levi was standing.

Ashlynn swore as the man blocked and sent away the sawing blade. She dived again and recovered her weapon and in time to meet again with the taller male and exchange blows.

"What? What just happened there?" Tsuna asked. There weren't any light to see by except for when lightning struck and lit up the spider web of markings and posts of the arena. The rain wasn't really helping either but actually made it harder to see. That along with the fact that Levi was wearing a dark ensemble and Ashlynn herself was in muted, dark and light grays that really blended in.

Fon stared as his pupil pulled a cart wheel backwards and aimed low she evaded her opponent and successfully managing save for the scratches and cuts she was receiving for her efforts. "When she threw her weapon it was thrown in an arc, so even if he had dodged the first time, the wire connecting the chakram to her wrapped around that middle rod like a tetherball and came back around."

"VOOOOI! Levi! Hurry it up already! Is this girl really being a challenge for you!" Squalo called scathingly.

Levi glared at the man and slipped up as Ashlynn was able to slam her fist into him and send him stumbling a little over the deep grooves in the flooring. It hadn't hit where she had been aiming for initially but a hit was a hit and she charged in for more, ricocheting a chakram on the ground between them and snapping small bolts of electricity at the man before she lost sight of him.

Ashlynn moved back a few steps then a few more to her right, eyes searching for the threat against her life, she could hear the Varia talking amongst themselves but she already knew the gist of what they were 'supposed' to say. Her eyes hardened and swallowed as she started moving, her ears straining and focusing on Levi's movements in the rain. It was originally Lambo that was supposed to be in this battle. A child against an assassin more than three times his age.

She jumped as another boom sounded the air and nearly had her head skewered as Levi jumped passed her and into the air as lightning moved across the rod to the ground. She didn't bother jumping out of the way of the electricity much to Tsuna's horror but sent both chakrams spinning with bolts of electricity at Levi's back where his sabers rested in their harness and coldly smirked as it hit but frowned pulling her weapons back into her possession.

Yes, she had hit him. Broke the harness on his back and three of sabers were broken into fourths. But other than that she had made no damage. Not even a tear into the man's coat.

Tsuna stood shell shocked but relieved. "How? She was hit full force!"

"_Must not only take the lightning, but also the damage to the Family, like a lightning rod. That is the role of the Lightning Guardian._ No doubt the results from her training with Fon and Keiko." Reborn commented.

Fon inclined his head. "That is correct. After the first part of training we went ahead and used taser and stun guns to build up her resistance and use of electrical currents."

"Taser guns?" Gokudera asked his cigarette falling out of his mouth.

"Yes." Fon said as he continued his watch and then spoke more quietly. "We ended up going through a very large amount of batteries over the last few days together. However, her defense and her channeling are not, as of yet, perfect by any means. Lightning is a volatile element. After a time her resistance will falter and she becomes increasingly dizzy."

"Not to mention adding all this along with that chain around her neck." Dolly grumbled.

Yamamoto looked to the woman quizzically as he couldn't see very well into the battle ground. "What about the chain? Is there something wrong with it?"

Dolly's lips deepened into a frown and told them as quietly as possible. "She's panicking. You won't see any signs of it unless you know exactly where to look for them. But the bottom line is: Ashlynn can't stand to have anything around her neck."

"Well, I've noticed she never wears necklaces..." Gokudera murmured. "And she was tugging at the chain earlier."

The woman nodded. "Above all else, she has a fear of choking that stemmed from childhood; she told me that another girl tried to steal a chain she had by tugging at it from behind. Not enough strength to break the chain off, but enough to cut off air."

Yamamoto's mouth opened with an "oh".

"Levi is getting angry~." The short haired blonde of the Varia grinned.

The baby nodded. "Levi is completely dedicated to the Boss. He accomplishes his jobs, is punctual, and became a Guardian- just to gain the Boss' appraisal...Now that he has come face to face with someone better suited to become a Guardian in his stead...he'll burn with a smothering jealousy."

Levi froze. "The one who fulfills the role of the Lightning Guardian of the Famiglia...and gain the most trust from the Boss...WILL BE ME!" Levi threw up the intact and the broken saber weapons into the air where they suspended as they opened into umbrellas.

Ashlynn swore racing across the arena chakrams at the ready. 'Come on! Make it!'

"Ushishishi, she won't make it in time for an attack~." The blonde snickered. "The electric umbrellas, even when broken it seems, cover every possible angle around the target. Once on of the umbrellas makes a hit the other seven will discharge electricity."

"It's practically a one hit KO. And it was this technique that made Levi one of the Varia Elite." The infant commented from his perch on the towering robotic man. He watched as lightning struck the rods and discharged through the floor. One of the shocks from the umbrellas connected to Ashlynn's body and immediately after the others followed suit and the lightning that was racing across the ground added into and prolonged the shock.

Levi turned away with a spring in his step, completely confident that the girl was now disposed of and he was now the winner of the scramble. "She will be burnt into ashes. _Sigh,_ I wish the Boss was here to experience this light."

"Senpai!"

"Ashlynn!" Tsuna yelled racing toward the edge of the circuito the Dying Will Flame appearing at his forehead and hands.

"Stop!" The Cervello stepped into his way. "If you interfere with the match, your ring and hers will be forfeited."

"But!"

In the dark rain, Ashlynn fell to her knees as the muscles in her legs spasmed. 'Tsuna, I swear to God, if you put just one foot in this arena then, Boss or not, I am so going to kick your ass.' She breathed in deeply ran her hands down her legs to her feet and gathered the remaining electricity from the attack, gripped her chakrams tightly in her hands then pushed off the ground and shot for the unsuspecting man's, once again, vulnerable back. The blades crashed, digging into the floor and ruining a small portion of the spider like markings where he once stood before moving at the last possible second and Levi jumped away to face her as she yanked on the wires to retrieve them.

Squalo smirked. "So she survived~. This is starting to actually get interesting."

"To be honest I was hoping that she was a better candidate for lightning."

"Hiiiiiie! Dad!" Tsuna yelled surprised as the man appeared behind their group with Basil. His flames disappeared.

"J-Juudaime's father? This is the Juudaime's father?" Gokudera stood there stunned as the man that had helped him see what he had been missing before when he was training by himself.

The man smiled. "She's going beyond my expectations."

"I have no idea what is going on but I bet its EXTREME! Go Senpai!" Ryohei cheered.

"Hmph, this is still dragging on?"

"Boss!" Levi cried. 'He came! Boss came to see my fight!'

"X-Xanuxus!" Tsuna recoiled but stood standing as the man stared at him.

Xanxus quirked a brow from the roof of the closest neighboring building. "What's with that look? Are you seriously thinking that you'll win and become the successor?"

"I..I didn't think about that...but..I don't want my friends hurt! I don't want to lose any of them to this!" Tsuna proclaimed his eyes full of worry as Ashlynn and Levi were still fighting. The girl's clothes were charred and he could have sworn he saw smoked coming from her through the light of the shock.

"I see." Xanxus glared holding up his hand as his flame materialized into his palm.

One of the Cervello immediately moved to man as the other stood steadfast in front of Tsuna. "Lord Xanxus, please don't! Put away your fist, if you interfere now, the meaning of the scramble battles will be-!"

"Shut up, trash." Xanxus knocked his fist covered by the Dying Will Flame into the woman's face and knocked her off the building to the ground below. "I haven't lost my temper. Rather, this is becoming exciting." The man smiled making Levi pull away to stare at the man with unconcealed awe.

"This is rare. How long has it been since the last time Boss smiled?" Mammon asked.

Levi whispered. "It's been eight years..."

"Now I understand the reason why the old man chose you as his successor, even though it was temporary. Whether it's the talk your spouting or that weak flame you have...You and that old fart are rather similar..."

"What...?" Tsuna asked.

Xanxus threw his head back and gave a deep laugh. "We'll have a tragedy, no, a God damned comedy here! You there, woman, continue the battle."

The remaining Cervello woman nodded. "Please continue the match!"

Ashlynn nor Levi bothered waiting for the woman to finish speaking as they immediately shot to fight again, blades slicing into flesh and clothing, and stumbling over the markings in the floor as thunder would clap and lightning shine on the arena. Ashlynn's hearing solely zoned in on Levi, finding everything else non relevant as the man threatened her existence. She staggered with a silent cry swiftly focusing on the saber that had slipped through her guard and poked a hole right through her stomach accompanied by a slight shock before it was pulled out and used to slice against her sides, tearing through her hoodie but thankfully not anymore through her shirts. Her vision was beginning to get fuzzy around the edges of her peripherals. 'Shit, I won't be able to keep this up for much loner. C'mon, Ashlynn! Don't make Tsuna have to come in and save your sorry ass after all! Don't lose to the God Damned Butt Monkey!'

"I will not lose to you!" Levi declared throwing out the umbrellas again. 'I will have the Boss praise me again!'

The first shock connected but Ashlynn merely used it to shoot upwards just as the others followed to do the channeled the sparks through her body straight to her feet and jumped, using Levi's own attack to propel herself into the air. She sent a wire attached chakram to wrap around the middle lightning rod for a risky idea and no doubt a very 'Dumbass' idea. "Science fact: Lightning doesn't always strike straight down from the sky! It can also shoot up. And it can shoot from one cloud to another before striking!"

Thunder roared and lightning flashed, sparking along the chakram wrapped around the rod down the wire to Ashlynn's hands, digging into them and burning the skin as she used them to pull herself weakly away after drop kicking Levi and transferring all the electricity she from the sky and from her own aura as she fell upon him from the sky.

She yanked on the wire to pull herself back and stumbled on her landing and rolled across the ground away from the fallen man, letting go of the wire that kept her in contact with her chakram. Ashlynn rested her head on the ground and closed her eyes and tried to will away the dark spots that were dancing across her eyes and gritted her teeth clutching the hole in her stomach.

"Unbelievable." Gokudera breathed. "She used herself as a conductor to channel lightning through to him..."

The Cervello jumped to check on both Guardian competitors sides then stood up on her feet and announced to the opposing groups. "Both competitors are unable to continue."

"Bullshit~." Ashlynn swore, her breath hitching in her throat, and she could feel her body twitching painfully. She pressed her forearm against the ground while her other arm held onto her tummy since her hands were practically useless at the moment. She was unable to lift herself, yes, not even able to get up onto her knees, but... "Does the fact that I'm still conscious mean anything to you?"

"As such there is no clear winner. The half rings of the Lightning ring will no longer count in the competition until a tie breaker is needed."

"Fuck it all." She swore again. "That crazy idea all for fucking nothing..."

The Cervello ignored her colorful commentary and the fact that she was still slightly more conscious than Levi and pressed on the remote, no doubt to stop anymore lightning from coursing through the rooftop. "This concludes the battle for the Lightning ring. Tomorrow's matchup will be between the Guardians of Storm. Untill then, Farewell."

Xanxus looked thoughtful before turning away. "A tie breaker huh? Heh, not like we'll be needing one, trash."

As Levi was still needed in case a tie breaker was to occur, the man did not receive the same treatment Lussuria gained from losing his match to Ryohei. But the robotic man did heft the man up like a sack of potatoes and left the school's campus with the rest of the Varia. It was silent for a few moments, until Fon hopped away from Dolly's shoulder to Ashlynn's side.

"Miss Ashlynn?"

"Niamh!"

"Ashlynn!"

"Senpai!"

"M'Lady!"

She grumbled not moving in disappointment. 'So much yelling...'

"Senpai?" Ryohei gently patted her head.

Ashlynn sighed wearily and groaned as her muscles spasmed. "...I can't believe I lost to the Butt Monkey."

"But, it was a draw Ashlynn. It wasn't a loss." Tsuna told her. "I'm so happy you're still alive. That there...it was terrifying. We could hardly see anything except when lightning struck."

"..."

"Ashlynn?"

"A draw isn't a win either, Tsuna." Ashlynn allowed Ryohei and Yamamoto help her off the ground but she leaned more on Yamamoto for support as Ryohei's arm was still in a sling. "And it was against the Butt Monkey~."

"Why are you calling him that?" Tsuna asked as they helped her into the building where they could see and to get them out of the rain.

"Because he's a Butt Monkey. Don't question my logic right now Tsuna, my head hurts from thinking. And losing. Fuck~."

"...!"

"...!"

"..._Sigh, _What is it?"

Reborn answered her. "This is the first time they've heard you swear out loud."

"I'm upset, soaking wet, and dizzy..."

All the Guardians looked at her shell shocked and horrified after they stepped into the building and got a good look at her. Tsuna swallowed and when it seemed he was unable to speak, Papan stepped forward and took her away from the boys and lifted her into his arms. She clamped her eyes shut and gave a low whine when he jostled her as he lead the group as they descended the steps between Dolly and Basil. "And you have a hole through your stomach and losing a lot of blood."

Ashlynn's hand that wasn't holding onto herself twitched causing attention to fall on them and Basil gasped horrified. "My Lady! Your hands...!"

She looked down at the somewhat numb limb and sighed. "Looks like I didn't really follow Future self's advice in not being a Dumbass..." Ashlynn blinked. "...Am I allowed to pass out now?"

She didn't hear anyone answer her as she closed her eyes and allowed the dark spots to take over and consume her consciousness.

* * *

><p>Yes, I realize that it's really called 'Thunder Guardian'. Lightning sounds better and more impressive, also it is a lightning bolt on the ring~. If it bothers you, pretend it says Thunder.<p>

By the way, some things have indeed been edited, if you're a new reader, don't worry about. If not, I hope the parts I fixed are a lot smoother than it was previously.


	18. Chapter 18

**Good News Caomhnóir fangirls and boys!:** I've uploaded the most recent sketch for Ashlynn! Yay! (Finally! And by the way it look forever for you to update Silver! These chapters better be freaking awesome!) Along with the previous sketches on another page. So Mosey on over to my profile and click on the link that says 'Ashlynn's character bio' and you'll get to the most recent sketch and you can check my DeviantArt gallery for the one that has the other page. And also! AnimeMeg27 from DA drew fanart for me! I've included a link on my profile as well.

Also, I fixed the DeivantArt group for Caomhnóir so it will now actually except people wanting to join. Now all I have to do is upload the last four (and more) or so chapters from here onto DeviantArt (really, it's a pain to do so, because when I add text to the Deviantation it only allows so much on it before I have to split the chapter into two parts~)

It's Christmas day so Merry Christams, or Happy Holidays, or Happy Whatever it is you normally do on this day every year. Have a Happy Day people~.

~.~.~.~

**LunaticSheep:** oh, I absolutely love your reviews~. I'm still semi mapping out scenes for future chapters but I'd like to wait until further into 'The Curse of The Ranbow' Arc before I make my decision. But you're welcome to dream~. :D Keiko, oh Keiko~ her petnames and huggy habits are actually channeled from me~ :D.

I reread and rewatch both the anime and the Manga, yes, but there are things that one has that the other doesn't and I'm trying to be thorough even though it take a while to sift through. And the Irish traditions that pop up now and then? When I put down in Ashlynn's character bio that she was Irish I researched and researched into everything possible. So do people actually follow them? Someone must have~. Do I believe in them? Absolutely.

* * *

><p><strong>"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship."<strong>

**- Ralph Waldo Emerson**

* * *

><p>She forewent using the opera glasses as she was close enough to the stage to not have any need of them and instead merely looked down from the top box to the brown haired young woman standing center stage striding forward a few steps and stopped before her long pristine white gown came close to the candle lamps that lit the bottom of the stage. Ashlynn retrieved her fan from the drawstring bag that she had taken along with her and tapped the spine of the closed object to her chin thoughtfully. The opera house was truly a magnificent building and the the woman currently singing, the new soprano was a welcome and pleasant change from the previous woman, Carlotta, who had a rather high voice that rang unpleasantly in ones ears even at her distance above the stage, that along with the fact that that woman strutted like a pompous bird that bothered her greatly. The stage could use a bit more blue and some dark reds however, and a smoke machine to increase the mood certainly wouldn't hurt...<p>

She smiled smugly as the colors of the stage instantly changed and a soft fog enveloped the floor to better suit her mood.

"Kufufufu. Are your dreams always based off of some sort of tale, Principessa? First 'Alice in Wonderland' and now 'The Phantom of the Opera'?"

Ashlynn becoming aware to her subconscious blinked then shrugged not looking away from the stage as Mukuro in a black suit sat down next to her in the box and appraised her appearance consisting of a long beige and wine colored dress and hair pulled up in curls portraying her as a high class Lady of the era of when the story supposedly took place.

"I don't knowingly choose the venue of my dreams, Mukuro."

"Yes, but you are now aware and thus you could change what you wish. But I wonder why you have not casted yourself as the main role as you had with Alice." Mukuro jerked his head to the woman on stage where Christine was singing the end of 'Think of Me.'

Ashlynn pouted but clapped politely as the song came to a close. "But I'm an alto not a soprano, I don't like having to sing that high."

Mukuro chuckled. "You forget that this is a dream and anything you want to happen can happen. You could allow yourself the ability to do things that you would be unable to whilst awake."

"I suppose. But then again I rather like this story without my interfering... even though I would like to point out to dear Christine that her angel isn't really an angel. Really, the Opera house being 'haunted' by a phantom while she was being visited by a so called 'angel'? She should of have been able to realize that the two in the same building would not be just mere coincidence even if the Phantom had some sort of hypnotizing power."

Mukuro grinned. "You seem rather miffed about that."

"It was something that always stood out to me when I watched the film. I never really got around to reading the book version. I'll have to remind myself later to get the chance to do so." Ashlynn said tersely standing up and willed the other members of the audience to disappear. "You now know why I didn't cast myself, but why not you? You were the Cheshire cat last time. And I think you would make a very convincing Erik."

"Erik?"

Ashlynn nodded decisively. "The Phantom. Or Angel depending on perspective."

"A-ano..."

Ashlynn turned to find Chrome standing by the door leading out of the box in a navy lolita styled dress. Mukuro stood to greet the girl and motioned her over.

"You were able to make it here, little Chrome. Well done."

Chrome blushed at the praise. "T-thank you, Mukuro-sama."

"Hello Chrome." Ashlynn greeted the girl with a smile.

She nodded looking down at the flats covering her dainty feet.

Ashlynn tilted her head and out of the corner of her eye she could see Mukuro lean back to watch the two. "Is something wrong?"

"I-I...I went to your home..." Chrome trailed off.

Her eyes immediately shined with understand and grimaced. "I'm so sorry, Chrome. I fully expected that I would be there when you came over. I'm no doubt dead asleep (that usually doesn't happen very often; I'm normally a light sleeper) to the world either on my bed or in Ozumi-san's care."

"I thought you were at school so I waited in case you returned. One of the neighbors told me that you work at a bakery some days after school... then Mukuro-sama suggested to look for your aura...it wasn't in the apartment but on the outskirts of town..." She trailed off again.

Ashlynn furrowed her brows. Just how late was it out there? "...Are you still there?"

Chrome nodded.

"The password code on the lock is '2253' or if you need a word to remember it by the word is 'cake'. Make yourself at home and you can stay for as long as you like, okay?" Ashlynn assured the girl and though Chrome nodded she didn't seem too convinced.

"So your battle was last night, Principessa?" Mukuro queried.

Ashlynn pouted. "Yeah and I fought to a draw though there was a great deal of luck on my part. I'm glad I didn't lose but I'm still kinda disappointed in myself. At one point, Tsuna was about to rush in even if it meant forfeiting both of our rings to the Varia."

"Still very soft." Mukuro shook his head but smiled benignly. "I believe it is time for you to wake up now, Principessa. Wouldn't want to miss the battle would you? Kufufufu, you better get going 'Cinderella' or you'll be late."

Ashlynn huffed looking away, 'Cinderella' indeed, as he laughed at her and her eyes snapped opened to the waking world then immediately narrowed.

"...So, we meet again..." Ashlynn frowned. "...Hospital ceiling. You look well."

"Unlike your current condition, Meagher-san. Whatever happened to trying to stay out of trouble?"

Ashlynn turned her head away from her one sided glare match to her doctor and take in the rest of the room and she noticed that they weren't in Namimori's public hospital. Her eyes settled on Ozumi-san as he checked over a clip board. She frowned, he looked more harried than she had ever seen the man before. "The Varia happened, Ozumi-san so this doesn't count because trouble came to kill us off for jewelry known as the Vongola Rings...Hey Ozumi-san?"

"It is ten o'clock at night. After you passed out from being hit and channeling ungodly amounts of electricity through your body, burns on your hands that will most definitely scar, a hole through your stomach that luckily didn't damage any internal organs and really severe muscle damage, you were brought here and then slept the rest of the night and the entire day away. And that in itself, Meagher-san, was disconcerting since your claims as a light sleeper are proven false because you sleep like the dead when you are exhausted."

'And so that left me away from my apartment and having Chrome wait at my door all day...Poor thing, it's getting really chilly...' Ashlynn stared then clarified. "Okay wait... yesterday was my battle right?"

"Yes."

"And it's ten at night right now? Crap~ Gokudera's match...!" Ashlynn slowly eased herself into a sitting position but even though she hadn't shot up in bed there was still a sharp pain from her poor tummy that made her hiss. "Son of a-!"

Ozumi-san sighed and checked underneath the large shirt at the bandages to see blood seeping through. He carefully pulled the piece of clothing over her head then helped her move so her back faced the door and pulled out a roll of bandages and began to unwrap the ones currently tied around her torso "I cannot allow you in good conscious to go out like this Meagher-san."

She sighed looking away red faced. Even though she still had a bra on and he was only replacing the bloody bandages it still felt like she was flashing the older man.

"But there is a way for her to do so~." Singsonged a voice.

"Shamal?" Ashlynn looked over her shoulder.

The man winked at her from leaning against the open door. "Because you're a girl, I wouldn't mind nursing you back to health. Hehe, what I can do is give you same, but much better and gentler, treatment that I gave to my stupid and un-cute disciple when you all went to Kokuyo. There will be some side effects, yes, but it should get you up and moving and allowing you to show up to tonight's battle as if you weren't as injured as you seemed and give off the image of a strong and watchful Guardian. But before you can pull that off you'll have to put some clothes on... Cute bra by the way~."

"Shamal-san.." Ozumi huffed but focused on his task of rubbing in a salve on the scabbing wound the started securing clean bandages on her stomach as well as changing the ones on her hands as Ashlynn raptly listened to the other doctor in the room.

"Side effects." Ashlynn stated. "How long will they last? My battle ended in a draw so now their going to use it as a tiebreaker if needed so I might end up fighting again if we tie." She wisely kept the knowledge that she knew that she definitely be fighting again, to herself. After all, they would have asked how she knew and saying that it was because of a premonition was stretching it a little too far.

"It'll depend on how well your cute body takes to my mosquito. But if I had to say, then by the end of three days you should be very close to being back to where you were yesterday morning with my help. So how about it?" Shamal held up his hand with a trident mosquito resting on the tip of his pointer finger.

Ashlynn nodded warily. "What do you want in return, Shamal?"

"Hahahaha~! You're so cute. Well, seeing you in your cute state of undress is nice but if you wouldn't mind I'd like you to make me some of those cupcakes that Bianchi and Keiko had been talking about. Being that lucky? _Sigh, _maybe the ladies wouldn't be so resistant to my charm." Shamal grinned.

'Hmmm, moral obligation to my fellow females...or getting out of here to watch Gokudera's fight and give a good image as a Guardian for Tsuna. It'll only be about a baker's dozen if I agree though we'll still have to find what actually triggered it to be lucky...' Ashlynn gave a small smile as Ozumi finished wrapping her up in bandages. "Then we have an agreement Shamal, though we're still testing my cooking. The first batch after the tests will have your name on them."

"Wonderful! Alright Angela-chan. Time to do your stuff." Shamal blew gently on the mosquito in Ashlynn's direction. She merely closed her eyes as she felt a prick on the back of her neck and calmed her response to immediately smack the little insect. "And there you go. And this, this was left for you when you woke up by that lovely Dolly woman."

"Thanks Shamal." Ashlynn didn't really feel any different save that it was a little easier to get on her feet though it still hurt her stomach to move. She pushed it from her mind as she accepted the bag of clothing no doubt from Dolly as Ozumi-san herded the other man out of the room.

Ashlynn looked on the table beside the bed and scowled at finding no hair tie then fished through the bag of things that Dolly had left for her as her clothes were charred and her tops and jacket had a hole in them. She dumped out the items and changed into the new set of clothes; one of her more comfortable pairs of jeans, a loose dark blue t-shirt, and she slipped her white arm guards back on over her forearms.

Not a single ponytail in sight, she'd have to leave it down. And she'd really go for a trim later despite what Maman said because she found that a good portion of the ends were a little singed.

She sighed pulling her hair over to lay over the front of her left shoulder and the left the clinic careful to keep an easy pace to Namimori Junior.

* * *

><p>"Because you arrived before the allotted time we acknowledge your participation in this match." The Cervello nodded to the smoker.<p>

"Gokudera-kun, thank goodne- Hiiiiie! Ashlynn! What are you doing here!" Tsuna screamed.

They and the Varia including Levi who glared, though Xanxus was once again absent from the group, looked up to see the female walking nonchalantly from the same direction Gokudera appeared from towards her group like she didn't have a single care in the world despite being greatly injured the night before.

"Oh? Why wouldn't I be, Tsuna? I came to see the Right hand man's battle." She grinned and patted Gokudera's back as she eyed the other group slyly with a challenging smirk, zeroing in Levi as he opened his mouth but then thought better of rising up to the taunt and shut it.

Gokudera stood shocked before his eyes watered manly with joy. He bowed to the older girl at the waist. "Thank you very much Ashlynn! Your faith in me will not be for nothing, I swear it!"

"But, but how...?" Tsuna's voice dropped. "You were a mess yesterday..."

"Thank you Tsuna."

'That wasn't meant as a compliment!' Tsuna shook his head looking at what he could see of her hands that were wrapped in bandages beneath the arm guards. "That's not what I meant. And then after Dad said you'd be fine he disappeared again and Basil-kun left soon after. We saw him at training but he wouldn't say what Dad was doing or where he disappeared to..."

She smiled consolingly. "Don't worry about it too much, Tsuna. But if knowing will make you feel better, I saw the pervy Doc before heading over here and I now owe him a batch of cupcakes."

"Was that really such a good idea...?" Gokudera mumbled. 'So that's where Shamal ran off to at the last second. He went to see Ashlynn and made sure she was back on her feet to get here...'

Ashlynn shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But I'm here to support you aren't I?"

"Then we shall now explain tonight's battle field, but first please allow me to report that due to injury we had to make a substitution for one of us." The Cervello announced as the other inclined her head and offered a greeting.

Ryohei merely stared. "She looks exactly like the one who was hurt."

The Cervello continued. "The combat area for tonight is the entire third floor of the school building. Of course that also includes the Eastern building that is connected with this building as well. Not only the hallway but classrooms are also allowed."

'That's good then. I like a place where there are a lot of obstacles...' Gokudera took a drag on his cigarette. '...!'

Ashlynn lifted a hand to keep her hair from getting in her way as a wind suddenly blew from the classroom between the Tsuna's group and the Varia, it carried desks and chairs through the short bit of hallway directly through the windows in a shower of glass before the school's furniture dropped to the ground below.

The newer Cervello stepped into the classroom and pushed out a large box like device that had filters on each side. "In various places on the field, we have installed this hurricane turbine. It has four openings used to produce wind and it will activate at random intervals from any side during the battle."

"That's kinda overdoing it..." Yamamoto frowned.

Ryohei nodded in agreement. "If you get hit by those winds then you'll be carried outside!"

"This battle also has a time limit." The woman announced. "Unless either of you complete the storm ring and possess it within fifteen minutes after the start off the match, the time bombs within the hurricane turbines will set off and explode one by one and destroy the entire floor."

Tsuna yelled. "No way! Then if this match is undetermined, the two of them will..."

"Most likely perish in the explosion." The woman finished the boy's thought. "That means that neither of them would qualify for the position as Guardian."

"In the worst case scenario, they probably don't care if the Storm ring is obliterated if either fail to complete the ring within the set time. The only person that thinks the rings of the Guardians don't matter...probably him." Reborn frowned. "Looks like Xanxus is really serious about this."

"Hrm? What's with the sound breaking glass?" Shamal asked stepping passed them to stand behind the Cervello women and fondled a breast in each hand. "Is anyone hurt?"

The Cervello women slammed their elbows into his face knocking him against the wall.

Mammon tilted his covered head. "Trident Shamal. Rumor has it he was supposedly recruited by the Varia two generations ago. The Varia had meant to gain him...but he refused and got away with his life."

"What the hell are you doing here Shamal!" Gokudera seethed.

The man stood easily back on his own feet. "Well, I heard the sound of breaking glass and thought some lovely female may have been injured so I hurried on over. I thought I'd come and make fun of your match, too. And so I'm on this side~!" He called to the Varia. "Nice to meet you, you guys over there in mourning clothing."

Squalo scowled. "Dino, Colonello, Fon, and now Shamal? Where are such people gathering on that side?... Is it because of that Arcobaleno over there?"

"Good! Then let's do the usual!" Ryohei yelled throwing both his good arm and the one in the sling in the air then grabbing Gokudera with the better arm, much to the boy's indignation.

Gokudera pried off the boxer's fingers but Ashlynn and Yamamoto cheerfully captured him before he could escape. "No! I don't want to do that lame huddle! It's embarrassing as Hell! I don't need that before my match! Dammit, let me go!"

"Um...please don't say that." Tsuna said shyly. "Can we do it, Gokudera-kun? Um...how do I say this? These...these matches relate to all of us here...I don't want to lose any of you for these rings...so, isn't it better..if we act united as a group?"

"...J-Juudaime...you are this considerate and worried for the good of the members of the Famiglia...YES! Juudaime, let's do it, please!" Gokudera bowed then moved to be between Tsuna and Ashlynnin the huddle.

"GOKUDERA...FIGHT!...OHHH!"

"Oh, look at you youngsters, so embarrassing~." Shamal rubbed his nose.

The Cervello stared. "If you are ready then will the two candidates step forward?"

"Right. Juudaime... I will fight and as your right hand man I will not disgrace you!"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah, but please don't push yourself too hard Gokudera-kun..."

"Because today's combat area is so spread out we have installed cameras to view that battle from a spectator area. If the rest of you would please exit this hallway to the buildings next door?" A Cervello motioned for them to back the way they came. Tsuna shrieked as lasers cut off the way behind them so they would not interfere with the battle. They quickly moved out to the next building over and found a series of televisions hooked up showing the inside of the building and they gathered around the one the ones that showed Gokudera, Belphegor and the Cervello in the hallway.

The women checked the chains around each of the boy's necks then announced for the cameras. "We have confirmed the authenticity of the half rings."

"Ushishishi. you use bombs right?" The blonde laughed. "Well, of course one can tell by just looking..."

Gokudera scowled.

Belphegor patted his shoulder. "Are you nervous? You're shoulders seem a little too tense. Shishishi." The boy smiled as he turned to walk away and waited for the Cervello to start the match.

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes.

'Don't worry Juudaime.' Gokudera thought glancing at the closest camera and lightning up a cigarette. 'I will win here and prove that no one else besides you is worthy to become the Boss of the Family. I don't care if this guy is a genius or not...'

"Then for the ring of Storm, Belphegor Vs Gokudera Hayato! Begin the battle!"

Gokudera took the first move quickly lighting a smoke explosive and throwing it towards his opponent then jumped back a few paces watching the smoke with critical eyes. 'I'll start off by observing and see how he fights...What! Knives!' He gasped as a circle of knives hovered around him and leaped out of the circle before it hit him.

"I'll give you some advice: it's better not to try any tricks~. Do you even understand who you are up against?" The smoked cleared away to reveal Belphegor still standing in the same place.

'Feh, looks like I shouldn't hold anything back.' Gokudera reached for the bombs on his belt and the ones strapped on his thigh, lit them, and targeted the blonde. "Fine, 'Triple Bomb'!"

"Hiiiiiie! He mastered three times the amount?" Tsuna asked.

Belphegor merely smiled and took two steps back as the dynamite closed in on him. Then just as they were about to reach him and explode a harsh wind blew from the classroom between them sending more desks and chairs through another window and crashing to the ground outside sending glass both in the hallway and on the ground.

"The Hurricane Turbine!" Gokudera glared.

The blonde inclined his head ever so slightly as if amused. "I am sensitive to wind...I am the Guardian of the Storm after all. Oh, I'd watch out if I were you."

"Damn it!" Gokudera cursed dropping flat against the floor as all the doors between and a few behind them erupted from the wind blowing furniture and whatever wasn't nailed securely enough out into the hallway and directly outside. 'I can't use my bombs wit these winds! Otherwise they'll blow out the fuses and send them out of the building!...But with this wind, he can't use his knives perfectly either...' He watched as Belphegor removed his hand from his coat pocket, there was a glint of light from his fingers. '...No way!'

Gokudera braced against the hurricane winds and dragged himself into a classroom before the knives could cut into him.

"Damn! How did he do that? Was it a fluke?"

"Flukes do not happen to Princes." Belphegor entered the opposite door of te same room that Gokudera jumped into. "I'll explain it for you~. I just follow the gusts and place my knife on the path going directly towards my opponent. See, I'll give you a demonstration." Belphegor held up a knife and released it into a gust produced by the hurricane turbine. Following the winds it changed paths whenever it met with the air ways created by the other turbines placed in the room. The knife followed the path and sunk itself mere centimeters away from Gokudera's ear.

Tsuna gaped at the screen. "So he's reading the air currents from the turbines? Is that even possible?"

"Hmph, he's taking advantage of this situation that seems impossible and performing inhuman techniques. I hate to say it, but that kid there is a real genius in battle." Shamal ran a hand through his hair. He stepped back to let Yamamoto and Ryohei get a better look at the screen and stood next to Ashlynn and murmured. "You'll start feeling some discomfort in a few minutes before it starts to escalate. Just take it easy, sit down if you need to, alright? And let me know if you start feeling dizzy or on the brink of passing out, knock on the floor or something to get my or Reborn's attention. I'll make sure the boys keep their attention on the screen."

"Thanks." Ashlynn nodded and decided to go ahead a sit down against the farthest wall before it hit. It was slight at first before it turned into a cramp but didn't increase more than that for which she was grateful. Cramps she could deal with. She remembered that when Gokudera suffered from side effects it almost looked like he was having a seizure. But then again Shamal had said he treated her better because she was a female and it didn't seem that her body was rejecting the injection from Shamal's trident mosquito.

She listened to Bel's voice as it carried through the speakers over the turbines winds as she held onto her stomach as the 'discomfort' continued.

"Do you know what the duty of the Storm Guardian is? Being a surging storm, perpetually at the heart of every attack, the storm that never relents. I can do it, but you, it seems, can't."

"Dammit kid, why are just standing there like an idiot? Don't stop moving." Shamal grumbled.

Gokudera glared, moving out of the way as knives followed the winds path from Belphegor to him and scowled as all he was able to was evade before he was hit. "Shit! I can't switch to the attack like this!" He ran out to the closet door of the room slapping a gum like fixture to the wall with two lit dynamites to cover which direction he was going to run. The wall exploded and the room was filled with a dark smoke.

"So you're using your explosives to cover your tracks so you can hide? I love Hide and Seek. It's my fa~vorite game to play. Ushishishishi." Belphegor smiled.

The Cervello's voice sounded over a P.A. system to both the combatants and the spectators. "Five minutes have passed. Only ten remain left until the Turbines self destruct."

"Going head to head with those knives isn't going to get me anywhere with getting that ring. The only thing I can do is set up traps and wait for a chance here in this blind spot." Gokudera frowned holding up four unlit dynamite in his hand. He gasped as two knives appeared as they cut straight through the bombs just above his fingers rendering the explosives useless until he could properly take the time (that he didn't have) to fix them. 'Where the hell did those come from!'

"H-how? That Bel person is still in the hallway! He shouldn't have been able to know where Gokudera-kun is!" Tsuna pointed at one of the screens that showed the blonde.

The wind from the devices ruffled his coat as Bel leisurely strolled down the hallway. "Didn't I say that Hide and Seek was my favorite? Ushishishi, it's because I am a prince. Of course you peasants wouldn't ever be able to manage it~." He laughed as he sent another round of knives to his target.

"Aaarghhhh!" Gokudera cried hands immediately moving to his side to cover the shallow cuts made by his opponents knives.

Bel laughed. "Oh? Have I found you already? It doesn't say much about your Boss if his Storm Guardian is like this."

"C'mon Gokudera, calm down and figure it out." Ashlynn murmured gently rubbing the area where she had been stabbed the night before. 'I use the same thing when I throw my chakrams even though I'm more open about it. C'mon, make the connection!'

'Because of me, the Juudaime...!No! I definitely can't lose here!" Gokudera gritted his teeth. 'But with the fact that I can't overcome this Bastard's attacks...Think! How can he hit me within this blind spot!'

'That's right Gokudera. Even if this kid's a genius, his technique has a trick and a setup that can be overcome...' Shamal stared at the screens at his disciple.

'Calm down' Gokudera ordered himself. 'Think. Was there anything strange about this match? He touched my shoulder and...My shoulder! H-he couldn't have...' He stood up supporting himself on the wall.

"Shall we finish this?" Bel asked the winds holding a number of knives in his hand as if it were a fan. "I'll turn you into a cactus though the sharp ends will be turned inside instead of protectively outwards. Bye-Bye~."

"No! Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna yelled as Bel released the knives into the winds.

"Crap!" Ryohei yelled.

"Ushishishi, checkmate. The Prince wins~." Bel grinned walking down the hallway to where Gokudera was hiding at. A dark mass gathered on the other side of the window before it crashed through the glass and onto the floor with knived lodged into it. Bel's smile disappeared and a thoughtful frown appeared in its place.

"A...model of the human body...?...Hiiie! It's moving!" Tsuna exclaimed as the model moved backwards on the floor.

Reborn scoffed. "Stupid Tsuna, look more closely. Something is caught around its head."

Ashlynn smiled from her place on the floor as Gokudera used the strings attached to the head of the model to lift it into the air.

"This is how you've been pulling this off." Gokudera scowled. "Before the match began when you patted my shoulder, you planted on a string invisible to the naked eye. Thanks to that move, it was like being injected by a full-body anesthetic that numbs you to the weight that pulls on you. Then you stretched out that string, and attached it to the protruding end of the knives. So like on tracks the knives flew to wherever the other end of the sting was. In this case it was the model instead of me."

Bel grinned. "Hmm, good try but that only gives you fifty percent. But if you want to feel good about yourself for getting that far, that's fine too..."

Gokudera jumped back as one of the turbines switched on from one of classrooms between him and Bel.

"...But with these winds you can't use your dynamite. So what will you do now I wonder? Ushishishi."

Gokudera lit his arsenal and sent them flying. "It's over!"

Tsuna gasped. "But the wind!"

"Go!" Gokudera smirked as the ring around the top and bottom end of the sticks of explosives sparked and rocketed themselves torwards the other male before exploding.

"It worked!" Tsuna cheered. "That was amazing!"

Shamal smirked. " 'Rocket Bomb'...that's what he's been working on for the past week."

"Direction changing bombs. Interesting." Reborn commented from Yamamoto's shoulder.

"Aa. Using the firing of a stored propellant to change the trajectory of the explosives twice. Hayato's weakness, originally, was his speed. Using dynamite as a weapon means trying to determine the amount of time it will take for the explosion as well as the trajectory required in order to hit the target is in blunt terms, impossible. So,of course, the logical thing to do was to raise the mobility of the original weapon. The kid only realized it after he saw my trident mosquito flying about because he didn't understand the example I was giving him." Shamal shook his head. "Although the target is a living, breathing, and moving target, you just need to exercise a little technique; with just two instances where your weapon can quickly change direction, all at once your entire arsenal of weaponry, range of attack, and battle tactics are expanded considerably. When all is said and done, in a life and death moment, the kid has finally perfected it. His persistence allowed him to accomplish it."

'But its not over yet, Gokudera. Now it's time for the hard part: a psycho-maniac prince that loves the exhilaration of battle. His genius is going to show so you better get ready.' Ashlynn frowned at the screens.

"Is..is it over?" Ryohei asked scanning all the screens to see what happened to the Octopus Head's opponent but while the smoke from the explosives still covered the hallway they couldn't see the Varia member's body.

"...Ushishishishi..."

"No-n-no way! It was a direct attack wasn't it?" Tsuna's jaw dropped.

Gokudera glared at the shadowy figure that was beginning to reveal itself.

"Ushishishishi!It spilled my royal blood~. My heart is racing so fast! It feels good~! Shishishishi!" The blonde laughed wiping his fingers against the trail of blood that seeped out from his wounds.

'I don't really understand his fascination but...' Gokudera readied another round of bombs. 'Now that I know that he uses wire for his long range strikes he can't really use them anymore with these winds. I'll take the opportunity to fell him in one swoop!' He threw the next round of bombs. "Go! Rocket Bombs!"

"Ahaaaa~?"

Yamamoto stiffened. "He's not going to dodge it? What's he planning?"

"Ushishishi!" Bel crowed in delight, launching himself forward towards the oncoming dynamite, slashing the first three on his way through and jumped into the air as the rest exploded behind his back; he used the explosion to propel himself into close range with the smoking bomber throwing sharp blades into the air.

Gokudera leaped back. 'It's no use to him with these winds to aim accurately so I don't have anything the fear from his atta-!' He gasped as he felt a sharp stinging on his cheeks and on his arms and looked down to see blood seeping from the scratches then quickly brought his attention to the prince coming closer with more knives at the ready. Gokudera furrowed his brows as he lit and flipped a smaller piece of dynamite between the short distance before Belphegor could land a close solid hit on him and covered his head and body with his arms as the blast sent the both of them backwards coughing as smoke billowed around them.

Bel giggled as he sat back up his shirt and jacket torn and charred, his hands catching onto the shards of glass on the ground as he checked his chest and head. "Ushishishi. More blood~!"

"Keh. I can't fight with him in close quarters. It's way too dangerous." Gokudera lifted himself back to his feet, grabbed onto his side and hurried through the gusts of wind away from the psycho laughing Prince as he breathed in deeply as he booked it to the end of the hallway, turned a sharp corner and entered the library.

The Cervello's voice sounded throughout the battlefield and within the spectator areas. "Five minutes remaining before the Hurricane Turbines self destruction."

Tsuna voiced his worry. "But the library only has that one entrance! And there's only five minutes left!"

'Shit!' Gokudera cursed internally. 'I don't have anymore time left!'

Ashlynn furrowed her brow as she hefted herself onto her feet and once she made sure she wouldn't topple over she stood besides a frowning Shamal who gave her a sidelong glance before returning his attention back to the screen Where Bel was entering the library by jumping in through the already broken window and sent knives to cut the dynamite Gokudera had flying his way into halves before they could detonate then followed after the other boy sending knives flying at his prey but seemed to avoid hitting any vital spots.

Tsuna gasped as Gokudera suddenly stopped in his tracks. "No! Gokudera-kun! You have to keep moving!"

"It's not that he won't Tsuna, it's because he can't. He's been surrounded." Ashlynn pointed to different places on the screen where little bits of light reflected off of wires caging in Gokudera.

"More wires?" Ryohei asked squinting his eyes.

Tsuna felt the blood drain from his face. "But when-How?"

"It was the knives from the very beginning and the most likely reason why Belphegor said that it was only half when Gokudera figured out that he used wires." Reborn told him from Yamamoto's shoulder.

Shamal took over. "So the kid had two different ways to attack. The first by the actual blade from the knife or if the target dodges then they will still get scratched up by the wires even if the blade misses. The second would be that he purposefully didn't target anything vital, instead aiming for the walls to cage him in and if Gokudera moves then he and any projectile he attempts to throw will be slashed into pieces by razor sharp wire. This is the reason why Belphegor defused the kid's bombs when he first entered the library. In other words this was a trap set up by that guy."

"Ushishishi, Chekmate." Bel laughed holding the beginnings of the wires in his hand. "Game over."

"Not quite." Gokudera declared, his cigarette gone from his mouth and on the floor. The spark from the tiny stick had caught on to the scattered lines of gunpowder that sizzled as flames traveled across the expanse to the surrounding bookshelves and the planted explosives. They detonated, tossing the bookshelves out of place and causing the wires to go slack. "When the wires are loose they won't cut me~. And now..." Gokudera pulled another round of dynamite, quickly unlocking a hook and laid them on the still taught wires. "Let's use your wires as guides!"

Shamal laughed, running a hand through his hair as the bombs met their mark and exploded. "Well, what do you know? He actually pulled through to the win."

"Three minutes remaining until self destruction." The Cervello women warned over the P.A. "We will not count a win until both halves of the Storm ring have been put together to completion."

Gokudera scoffed but put a hand to his head as dark spots invaded his vision. 'Crap. I've lost too much blood. Gotta get the ring and then back to the Juudaime...then...then...I can pass out...in victory!'

The smoker approached the un-moving sprawled out body of his opponent and grabbed onto the chain around the other boys neck then swore as Belphegor's own hand snatched the chain around his own neck.

"He's still moving!" Tsuna shrieked.

"The winner will be the Prince!" Belphegor grinned pushing the other boy onto his back, fingers grasping for the clasp of the chain.

Gokudera punched the blonde in the face. "Get off!"

"Ring~."

"Dammnit you bastard! Don't you have any self-preservation! Get the Fuck off! " Gokudera cried as the two rolled across the ground striking each other. 'Shit! My visions getting blurry! Why the Hell is he trying so hard even when he's on the brink of death?'...!'

Tsuna , Ryohei and Yamamoto gasped as a hurricane turbine exploded.

"Wha!" Yamamoto scanned the screens for which room had been destroyed.

The Cervello women announced over the speakers as the two Storm candidates duked it out, slamming each other into rubble, into the still standing book shelves, and punching each other in effort to grasp onto the other half of the Vongola Ring. "As previously stated before the beginning of the match, after fifteen minutes, the hurricane turbines would begin to self destruct in a sequential manner. The library's estimated time of detonation is within one minute's time unless the storm ring is completed. Of course, the spectators will not be affected by the explosions."

"Oh no!" Tsuna cried grasping the sides of his head as two more explosions went off and took out even the cameras in the area. "At this rate Gokudera-kun-!"

Reborn's hat covered his face. "Will be taken out along with the enemy."

"It's become a game of chicken." Ashlynn swore.

Tsuna gulped then tore himself away from the screens and out of the room towards the building of the battle with Ryohei and Yamamoto quickly following him and Shamal helping Ashlynn out to follow them.

Ryohei cupped a hand over his mouth and yelled his eyes trained on the place he knew that the library was located. "Octopus Head! Hurry up!"

Gokudera gasped as his head was banged hard against the edge of a fallen shelf. "Shut the Fuck up Lawn Head! I'm trying!"

"Fnn, what should be done, Tsuna?" Reborn asked the boy.

"What? Y-you're asking me!"

"There are only two things that Gokudera can do at this point. He can either die with Belphegor in the blast because neither could complete the ring but I think you'd rather the option where your Guardian comes away with his life." Shamal raised his eyes to the very window that Gokudera and Belphegor were brawling by and called to his disciple. "Hand over the ring to the enemy! And withdraw if you want your life, Hayato!"

"W-what?" Gokudera strained over the words.

"To die for something like this would be completely idiotic! So give up the ring and get down here!"

Gokudera slammed his fist into Bel's face again and was pulled with the blonde as he pulled onto his shirt and a hand was grasped into his hair and yanked. "You've got to be kidding me! I can't lose here!"

"You're opponent has already gone bat-shit insane, kid!" Shamal argued. "This is no longer a battle that means anything! So get down here!"

"I won't come back empty handed!" Gokudera yelled.

Ashlynn cupped both of her hands to her face. "You'll come back with your life! That is what matters most to us, Gokudera! Don't make me come up there and forfeit both of our rings! Don't think that I won't do it!"

"Twenty seconds until the library's destruction." The Cervello warned as four more explosions rocked the building Namimori Junior their eyes keeping track of Ashlynn to see if she would really try to interfere with the match. She would have if not for Shamal grabbing her shoulder and keeping her where she was.

"Gokudera!" Yamamoto yelled.

Shamal growled before yelling again. "You fool! Have you already forgotten what you've learned before your training started!"

"I will not withdraw!"

"Stop fooling around!" Tsuna yelled with hardened eyes. "Have you thought about what you're fighting for!"

Gokudera froze but kept the other boy's hands away from his neck.

Tsuna continued. "It was so that we could have snowball fights, those crazy traditions that pop out of nowhere during every odd holiday with friends! So that we could watch fireworks at festivals! So that we could laugh with everyone! That's why we trained so hard to prepare for this mess! If you die here then all that will be for nothing, Gokudera! Your life is worth more to me than that ring!"

"Juudaime..."

Ashlynn gasped as the final hurricane turbines destroyed the library and the part of the hallway it was connected out. She waited with baited breathe and eyes searching the through the dark clouds of smoke that emitted from the second floor of the school building then followed Shamal's lead as the man entered the building to check with the others following 'Did...did he really not give up the ring...?...Is he...?'

Tsuna stepped to the front of the group as the lasers that previously blocked off the hallway disappeared and called for his friend. "Gokudera-kun!"

"Gokudera!" Yamamoto yelled.

Tsuna sank to his knees as their yells were unaswered, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Wait." Reborn pointed.

Ashlynn sighed in relief as Gokudera dragged himself, his body smoking from the blast and blood smeared all over his clothing, on his feet towards the group and fell to the ground before them. As quickly as her own body allowed she went helped him so he was in a sitting position against the wall.

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Octopus Head!"

"I'm sorry, Juudaime." Gokudera apologized. "I allowed the ring to be taken...I wanted...I wanted to watch the fireworks with everyone...so I came back with just my life."

"Thank goodness Gokudera. That's all that I wanted." Tsuna knelt beside the boy. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun."

The smokers face fell. "Please stop Juudaime! I'm not worthy or deserving of those words!"

"...So he managed through..." Reborn said staying back with Shamal.

"Aa." The man nodded. "At the very end he proved how much he's grown over the last week. Heh, and there's no way I can be arrogant enough to take the credit for that. I've been completely outclassed by that young Vongola Boss right there."

Ashlynn sighed as Gokudera forced himself back to his feet to grab onto the front of Yamamoto's shirt.

"Yamamoto! The rest...I leave up to you! I-if I had the choice I wouldn't be degrading myself to ask you anything, but , it's that there is no other choice because we still don't know who the Hell has the half ring for the Mist and that Hibari is an asshole-."

Yamamoto grinned. "You can count on me."

"Because the ring was completed in Belphegor's possession, the victory of this match goes to the Varia." The Cervello announced walking through what was left of the smoke with the Varia following after them, a giggly, half-dead, and triumphant Bel was slung over Mosca's shoulders with the complete Storm ring adorning his right forefinger.

"VOOOI! What a laughable ending!" Squalo laughed. "With this we're tied but that won't be the case for very long."

Ryohei bit his cheek.

"And so far neither your Mist or Cloud Guardians have shown their faces. If your contenders do not show up for their battles, then we will win by default and everything will be over for you." Mammon told them.

'Now that I think about it...I haven't seen Hibari-san since yesterday morning when Ashlynn came by...and the Mist user...I still don't have any idea of who it might be and Reborn won't tell me anything besides that I should half expect the person's identity...' Tsuna sighed.

The Cervello nodded to each other as one turned so she could see both groups between her. "Then, I shall now announce the match-up for tomorrow night's battle..."

"Reborn!" Tsuna hissed to the Hitman. "What are we going to do? If it's the Mist or Cloud that's next-"

Reborn shook his head. "Don't worry Tsuna. Everyone will come together in time."

The Cervello continued. "The next Ring battle shall be between the Guardians of Rain!"

"Hah! Finally! Don't you dare run away just because you've realized the overwhelming difference in strength from last time, Katana Brat. I want the pleasure of slicing you to pieces." Squalo smirked.

Yamamoto grinned. "Hahaha! No worried about that! I'm so excited I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"You little brat."

Ashlynn cut in before anyone else could comment. "I've just realized something..."

"Hmm? What's that?" Yamamoto asked patting her hair.

She nodded looking at the ruined second floor of the school then back to her group. "Hibari-san is going to be pissed when he finds out about this." Ashlynn laughed at the dawning terror on the Junior high boys' faces when the information sunk in.

"Oh no. We're dead. We are so very dead." Tsuna despaired grabbing the sides of his head in horror then shrieked as someone jumped over them from behind their head and landed kneeling in fronto f Levi.

"Sir, please excuse the intrusion! But someone has breached the perimeter of the school building and the Levi Thunder unit is being picked off one by one!"

Ashlynn blinked and looked at her hands. "Wow. That was fast."

"What!" Levi demanded the underling.

"You see Tsuna, didn't I say so? All of your Guardians will assemble together in time. You need to be more patient." Reborn admonished.

Tsuna shrieked as screams, yells, crashes, and the sound of breaking glass came from the direction of the stairs and nearly gave into the temptation of flattening himself to the closest wall. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that he was watching the entrance of the stairs in fear.

The radio transmitter of the man turned on as one of the men reported. "Sir! The unknown intruder is heading directly towards your position!"

"What sort of fly has buzzed in? It seems worth waiting for whoever it is to show themselves." Mammon moved from his position on Gola Mosca's open palm to his shoulder.

Tsuna shrieked as an unconscious and bloody man was thrown at their feet from the recesses of the stairs and took an involuntary step back as Hibari climbed the last of the steps and glared at everyone gathered in the destroyed hallway. He immediately made a beeline to Ashlynn and pointed a tonfa threateningly in her face to Tsuna's horror.

"Omnivore."

"So Dino finally told where the ring battles were taking place? It's really not our fault that Namimori Junior was the chosen venue for the battles, Hibari-san. Though I certainly wouldn't have minded if it took place at the high school instead. More room you see? And I kinda want to destroy my classroom." Ashlynn grinned.

He glared. "Unlawfully breaking onto school property and moreover vandalizing the premises. By reason of joint responsibility, each and every one of you shall be bitten to death."

"What! Us too?" Gokudera gaped from leaning against the wall. "We didn't even choose to fight here in the first place!"

"Haha! He really likes the school doesn't he?" Yamamoto laughed as Tsuna just stood there gaping.

"Hmph, it's just another brat." Squalo scoffed.

Levi glared, his hands reaching for the sabers harnessed to his back. "So. You are the one who brought down all of my subordinates."

"You are one of the ring holders allied with Sawada Tsunayoshi?" The Cevello asked the irate prefect. "If so then this behavior is-"

Levi shot forward past the talking woman shooting sparks down his weapons. "Out of my way Cervello! That bastard is just a common trespasser!"

Hibari and Ashlynn glared at the running man and each took a small step back from each other and stuck their legs out at the last second tripping Levi and sent him falling to his face.

Shamal chuckled behind his hand at the man's gobsmacked face.

Hibari coldly stared down at the fallen man. "I guess I'll start with you."

"Che, the moment that guy shows up everything turns into a big mess. I understand that he's not happy that the school was damaged but why is here?" Gokudera winced but made no movement to stop the male.

Reborn smirked from beside Shamal. "That is the ring holder of the Vongola Cloud ring and Nami Junior's Disciplinary committee president, Hibari Kyouya."

"Their Cloud Guardian huh? That means he is to be Gola Mosca's opponent. What do you think Mammon?" Squalo asked the infant.

"Levi is indeed one of the Varia, although he is both slow-witted and easy to break down. Putting that aside however, his physical skills and skill in channeling his element are quite strong."

Levi glared at his comrade. "Why you!"

"Hah! This is getting interesting!" Squalo laughed pointing his sword at the prefect. "How many time shall I slash you open, brat?"

Hibari smirked. "Hnn. Are you next in line?"

The Cervello women intervened. "Please stop. If Guardians enter an unregulated brawl outside of the official battle time and venue then they will both be disqualified."

"What! No way!" Ryohei yelled.

"Okay, okay!" Yamamoto rushed in front of Hibari. "Look, Hibari I know you're angry but-"

"You're in my way. Don't stand in my way, herbivore." Hibari glared moving to slam his tonfa into the other boy but missed as Yamamoto side stepped the attack and moved behind the other boy and grabbed onto the tonfa and smiled.

"The long haired one is my opponent that I'll be fighting tomorrow night so please be a little more patient. And the one you tripped is actually Ashlynn's incase we have to have a tie breaker."

Hibari turned to face him. "If you are going to get in my way then I don't care who you are. I'll bite you to death."

'Oh crap! I made him even more mad!' Yamamoto quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Please wait, Hibari-san!" Tsuna pleaded.

Reborn stepped forward. "Ciaossu Hibari."

"Hmm, baby, I'm busy at the moment." Hibari gave the hitman his attention but did not lower his weapons.

The hitman shrugged. "Although it's fine if you decide the let loose here you may lose a greater chance to enjoy yourself."

"A greater chance?"

Reborn nodded. "It's not immediately possible but, if you bear with it now and participate in the scramble for the rings you just might be able to fight Rokudo Mukuro in the very near future."

Hibari lowered the tonfa's. "...Hm, really?...All the damages of the school will be repaired."

The closest Cervello nodded. "Yes. We the Cervello Organization will take full responsibility for the repairs."

"Is that so?" Hibari spun and started walking towards the stairs entrance but stopped just after he passed Yamamoto. "Do not lose to the one over there before my turn comes around herbivore. See you; Baby, Omnivore Ashlynn."

"Goodnight Hibari-san." Ashlynn gave a small wave to the prefect's back.

Tsuna stood shocked. "Hibari-san...he...he stopped fighting..."

"From that alone you can see the humiliation that Hibari feels he suffered at Mukuro's hands." Reborn nodded jumping up to a relieved Yamamoto's shoulder.

"VOOOOOI! Katana brat!" Squalo yelled. "Where did you learn to move like that within the last week? I like it! And now your chances of winning against me have went from zero percent to still being zero percent! Hah! The coming day will be your last! All you have to do is wash your head and wait! Laaater." The swordsman laughed before he the rest of the Varia jumped out of the second floor windows and disappeared.

"Thank goodness it's over..Oh! Gokudera-kun! We have to get your wounds healed!" Tsuna cried.

The boy looked away. 'I-it's nothing Juudaime! Just a bunch of scratches! Nothing I can't handle!"

"B-but, Shamal-!"

The man shook his head and started walking down the hallway. "Nope! I don't treat male patients! See ya."

"Bu-but!" Tsuna reached his arm out but let it slump when the man really left.

"I guess it can't be helped if Shamal will only treat females. Romario here is a talented healer so he can look Gokudera over."

Tsuna jumped. "That voice- Dino-san!"

They turned around and found Dino who had a few bandages on him and Romario walking down the charred ruins of the hallway. Ashlynn coughed to smother her giggle as a thought came unbidden to her mind. '..Or we could dress him up as a chick...but then again Shamal would check for boobs...'

"Hey guys. I guess we just missed the Varia then? Heh, I guess you guys haven't seen Kyouya come by here have you?" The man asked.

"Eh?" Tsuna questioned. "He actually just passed by here..."

"Wha-Really?"

"Don't worry, he passed by without too much of a fuss." Reborn told him.

Dino sighed. "I see. So he went back that quickly. He wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell him about the rings but got pissed off when I told him that the battles are taking place at his school."

"Went back? To where?" Ryohei asked.

"Uh, well I guess you could call it a training journey. That Kyouya isn't someone that will listen to what anyone tells him, even if you pin him by force he'll still fight back. So I was a little nervous when he disappeared after I said the battles were going to be here..anyway, to prepare him for any kind of situation that the battles could throw at him we kept moving away from Namimori to different environments to fight in."

'That sounds really cool' Tsuna though imagining the training that Dino-san had given to Hibari-san.

"Fnn, so how much stronger is Hibari?" Reborn asked.

Dino shrugged walking towards Ashlynn. "Who knows? I'm certain that he's gotten stronger than the first time we fought but even I don't even know by how far he's come. That guys potential for growth is unbelievable, that's for sure. Hi Ashlynn, sorry I didn't come to see your battle. How did it go?" He asked her, kissing her cheek.

Ashlynn folder her arms and looked away pouting. "Fought to a draw. I don't want to talk about it."

"Umm, okay...? Ah, anyway, Yamamoto, I came out here for a reason (other than to find Kyouya~). I have some things to tell you about your opponent, Squalo."

Yamamoto tilted his head. "You know him?"

"Very well actually. Squalo was actually he one that was supposed to be the Varia's Boss."

"Are you serious?" Tsuna cried.

Dino nodded. "Yeah. We went to the same school that had a lot of students who had ties into the mafia. From that time on, I've known his name. Everyone was talking about him: The unbelievably strong student who was training as a swordsman...both his skill and his methods of refining swordsmanship broke the mold. At the time, for the sake of developing his own sword style, Squalo was attacking all types of sword Masters, from East to West; and little by little he absorbed their techniques into his own arsenal. The Varia ended up catching wind of it and scouted him. However, Squalo said he would only join if he got to fight the current Boss of the Varia, Tyr, who was called the 'Emperor of the Sword'. No one bothered to think that Squalo had a chance at winning against the man. But...after a death match that lasted two days Squalo returned victorious and perfected his technique and once he officially joined the Varia he immediately topped everyone else and it was expected that Squalo would be the Boss."

"But, Xanxus is the Boss of the Varia." Tsuna looked down. "Why...?"

"I don't know, Tsuna. It's certain that there is a great mystery surround Xanxus...if you win then maybe you'll learn more. Yamamoto, let me make this very clear. Squalo is a man who has already vanquished several styles of the sword. If you rely on a particular style then he will defeat you. The only way it will be possible for you to win is if you can transcend his style."

"Transcend?"

"Yeah." Dino nodded his head to Romario who helped the dizzying Gokudera up. "See you guys, we're going to go ahead and take care of Gokudera. Think about what I said Yamamoto and be careful."

"Yeah..."

"I'm going to head out too. See you tomorrow." Ashlynn waved as she left herself towards her apartment.

She sighed as she unlocked the door and allowed herself inside then sighed again as there was no sign of Chrome waiting for her. She had hoped that the girl would have stayed the night or stayed until Ashlynn came back so she could walk the girl to Kokuyo.

'Note to self' Ashlynn thought falling on her bed after switching her pants for flannel shorts. 'Ask Dolly to teach me how to drive. Running and walking is fine...just that, it's a long walk between here and Kokuyo land...'

* * *

><p>'<span>Omake Theatre: The Scene that Might Have Been~<span>'

"Hmmm? Oh! Honey Darling!" Lussuria squeed and jumped away from his now mostly flabbergasted group to the ground in front of her, pressed his cheek to hers as he spun her in the air. "Sugar, I'm so surprised! So this was the group you alluded to but never named~."

"Hey Luss. Way to ruin the mood; we had such a good thing going on right there. Tension was building, sparks were about to fly, you know?"

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOII! WHAT THE FUCK LUSSURIA!" Squalo snapped.

"Oh? Lussuria knows one of them." The blonde grinned.

Tsuna gaped. "A-Ashlynn? You k-know him?"

Lussuria set her back down on her feet but did not release her. "Ne, Squ-chan~! Boss! This is my Honey! Can I take her back home with us when we're done here?"

Xanxus glared.

Squalo glared waving his sword forcing Levi to move out of the way before he was cut into. "Lussuria! Stop fraternizing with the brats and get your ass back up here!"

"Oh, poo." Lussuria pouted but let go of his hold turned his back and sauntered back to the Varia and held up a small ring. "Here you go, Levi, the other half of your ring. Now you-. oh~~? This isn't what I wanted~." Lussuria looked back.

Ashlynn wiggled the fingers on her right hand showcasing the Vongola Lightning half ring, her silver Claddagh ring missing from the digits which was now being held in Lussuria's gloved hand. "I'd like that ring back, Luss~."

"Oh, so sneaky, Honey."

~.~End Scene~.~

That was an idea that I had played around with when I was writing the part where Tsuna's group faces the inner circle of the Varia. The reason I didn't use it was because it felt that it was derailing from the mood that was building, and even though Xanxus is perfectly able to turn the mood back around to scare Tsuna witless, I feel that the way I have it written in the chapter is better than this scene. It's still funny though~.

My favorite lines from it are Ashlynn pointed out the destruction of the mood that had been building and when Lussuria says,"Oh, poo."

Notes: I'm thinking of going back to edit out Morooaka and replace him with a no-face teacher. Not like he had any place here in my story other than to be a jackass teacher that every one hates. And its not like it will affect the story line at all~. The only important parts of Ashlynn's school life is being with Ran...

~ Is there any pairings (that doesn't include Ashlynn [and the current poll choices]) that you guys want to see? I'm very very tempted to pull off a Fuuta/Birdy pairing because of LunaticSheep (you sweet thing you). But if there are other ideas for pairings I'll take them into consideration~.


	19. Chapter 19

**"He who has the courage to laugh is almost as much as a master of the world as he who is ready to die."**

**-Giacomo Leopardi**

**"I was recently looking through a photo gallery of deadly and dangerous sea creatures and there were numerous pictures of sharks. Thank you, I wasn't aware that a shark is dangerous and could potentially rip my face off. I feel so enlightened."**

**- HawkRocket**

* * *

><p>Ashlynn smiled excited and happily to herself as she left the kitchen to answer the door, wiping her hands on a dish towel on her way, expecting Chrome to be waiting on the other side and grinned wider when the timid girl came into the view.<p>

"Good morning Chrome."

"G-Good morning..."

"Come on in, I still have breakfast out if you want any. You just missed Dolly, Birdy, and Fon, though I guess that's probably for the best."

"Dolly? Birdy? Fon?" The girl asked quietly slipping off her shoes before following Ashlynn into the kitchen and sat down at one of the stools placed at the island but did not move to touch the plates of food and she only reluctantly picked up a fork when Ashlynn laid down a plate in front of her that had chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns a three pieces of bacon and left syrup within her reach is she wanted and a pitcher of juice and cup in reach as well.

Ashlynn nodded picking up two dirty plates and utensils and started washing them.

"My Landlady's name is Cross Dolly and her daughter's name is Suzume but she rather likes being called Birdy. And Fon is the Storm Arcobaleno who oversaw my training for preparing for the Ring Battles. Birdy's taken quite the shining to him."

"Oh..." Chrome took a small bite out of a chocolate pancake then fiddled her fork around the other items in front of her. She stared at Ashlynn's back as she dried and put away the dishes.

"You want to ask something?" Ashlynn asked kindly and gave a mental sigh as the girl flinched.

"...You and Mukuro-sama fought on opposite sides not very long ago..."

"You are wondering why we are being so civil?"

Chrome nodded.

"He told me that I'm interesting..." Ashlynn shrugged wiping down the stove and counters. "I certainly won't be forgetting it anytime soon but once I got over the fact that he wants to take over Tsuna's body; which sounds highly suggestive if you know what I mean. No? Oh... never mind then, forget I ever said that. Anyway beyond that and the fact he wants the world to become a 'sea of blood', he is a very charming person and I do admit that I kinda like it when he calls me 'Princess'.

"Kufufufu." Mukuro chuckled switching places with Chrome. "Then I shall continue to call you as such, Principessa. Though I must ask that you not corrupt my sweet little Chrome; and I assure you that I do not wish to take over Sawada Tsunayoshi in the manner that you were implying."

Ashlynn grinned then gave him a look of mock hurt. "Really Mukuro? Corrupting the poor girl? You wound me. Haha, but there is a reason why I said that. Remember when you grabbed at his wrists to keep him from striking you? What if I had entered the room then instead of when I jumped in from the ceiling? Can you imagine what that might have looked like to someone who walked in not knowing had happened to build to that point? I'm actually surprised that it didn't happen because it sounds just like Tsuna's sort of luck to occur. And adding onto that, Tsuna is like a Shota and considered jail bait because he's not of age yet and...how old are you Mukuro minus past lives and remembering going to Hell?"

"Fifteen this past June." Came the gritted answer.

She blinked. In truth she had never actually learned every single person's age in the series, though she was able to guess them based on the uniforms they wore. Huh. "Really?" She gave him a full once over. "I thought you were older than that. You do wear a Junior high uniform but you're pretty tall and your voice is more mature than the others...well, its not considered jail bait_ now_ but still... Hrm? Is that too much Mukuro? Should we change the subject now?" Ashlynn giggled at the boy's forced smile.

Mukuro said nothing but took the fork Chrome had used at plopped a portion of a pancake into his mouth and savored the pieces of chocolate chips scattered in. Then after a few moments he looked back at her. "The battle tonight is between the Guardians of Rain." He prompted.

She took the cue without complaint or further teasing but did grin at the change in subject. "Yamamoto will be fighting against Superbi Squalo. A swordsman who was supposedly meant to be the Boss of the Varia Assassination squad but that place was taken by Xanxus, the youngest son of the Ninth. After tonight it will either be a scramble for the Mist ring or the Cloud ring... Will you participate? Reborn bribed Hibari with a chance to challenge you again so he wouldn't make too much of a fuss when he found out Namimori Junior is holding the battles."

"Xanxus...I know the name and the person who holds it, however, not personally. Hm, I was only aware that Don Timoteo only had three sons by blood and they are all dead from one thing or another. As for my participation, Principessa, it would certainly put me in a better position to take over Tsunayoshi if I am his Guardian and he succeeds to become the official heir."

'But that is not the only reason, Mukuro. And perhaps you actually gave thought to the fact that we may be able to negotiate your release,...and I am going to assume that is because of possession that you know that Xanxus is not Timoteo's blood and is really adopted.' Ashlynn nodded. "Perhaps. But do remember that Tsuna has the means to keep himself protected from possession. I didn't throw myself into the way of that explosion for my health you know."

"Then I shall find a way around that."

"You can try."

"Kufufufufu."

Ashlynn blinked and found Chrome back in the seat. "Are you not hungry? I can pack it up and you can take it with you if you like? I'll pack up some portions for Ken and Chikusa as well..."

"...Thank you... Principessa."

"Haha, not a problem, little Chrome." Ashlynn laughed using the endearment that Mukuro used for the girl and giggled when Chrome looked down blushing. She packed up the food she made into a large bento box she didn't mind replacing and left with Chrome for Kokuyo, regaled for the girl what she knew about their 'Boss', including some fun stories of their shenanigans at his expense; the Initiation test that she and Yamamoto competed in (and she assured the girl that she was not required to undertake it. The Ring battles were more than enough), The birthday celebrations, The New year's friendly battle with the Cavallone Family Boss, amongst many other that had managed to pry a small quiet giggle from the girl during their trip across town. It made Ashlynn glad that Chrome was warming up to her, at least by a very small margin.

"Thank you." Chrome looked at her feet as she gathered the bento box that Ashlynn carried along the way to the Health land.

Ashlynn nodded giving the front of the main building a once over and was not surprised to see it in the same shape she had seen it last time. "It doesn't seem that anyone is here though. Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I have Mukuro-sama with me."

"Aa." Ashlynn realized that the girl was correct. "That you do. Remember if you need anything you can come to me, you hear?"

"Y-yes, Principessa."

Ashlynn shook her head amused and turned to leave. "Heh, you're too cute. I'll see you later, little Chrome."

She didn't see any of the other members of the gang that followed Mukuro on her way out and down the road back to Namimori and swore that she'd definitely get Dolly to help her get her license.

'I'll be needing it soon enough...well, not exactly needing it...Oh Shit~..!' Ashlynn fell against a wall on the outskirts of the housing developments (thank goodness that it wasn't in the actually shopping district). She bit her lip as pain exploded from the wound located on her stomach but she found the sharp muscle spasms in her leg the most surprising and attention grabbing. She bit her lip harder to keep from crying out as she grabbed her calves and attempted to massage them

'Fuck it all! Ashlynn don't you dare cry! Don't cry Dammit!' She whimpered.

"Hey, Ashlynn! You okay?"

'Son of a bitch!' Ashlynn silently swore trying to keep her legs as still as she could. Someone just had to find her like this didn't they?

Yamamoto kneeled down in front of her and only after a swift moment he grabbed her right calf and with a firm grip rubbed the aching muscle while Ashlynn immediately moved her free hand to her other leg to soothe the pain from her muscles suddenly wanting to play musical chairs within her limbs.

"Stupid Charley horse." She swore.

Yamamoto looked at her for a second before returning his attention to her leg. "Charley horse...? Don't you mean komuragaeri?"

Ashlyn sighed as the pain started to ebb away, in both her legs and her stomach. "It's slang back in the U.S. but it basically means the same thing, Yamamoto. Thanks."

"No problem." He patted her hair. "I was walking around trying to think when I saw you. Do you hurt anywhere else? You just suddenly fell against the wall..."

She nodded. "I'm fine, and hopefully this will be the last time it happens." At his confused stare she clarified. "I slept the entire day yesterday and when I woke up Dr. Shamal helped me so I could make it to Gokudera's match without too many problems (I now owe him a batch of cupcakes). I should be back in the state I was before my match by the end of tomorrow, the day after at the latest, but there are side effects. So far I've only experienced some bearable discomfort and some twitches. I wasn't expecting a Charley horse in both my legs at the same freaking time..."

"But you'll be okay?" He asked looking at her unbandaged hands where he could see the thin lines that had burned into her skin from the wire.

"Yeah."

Yamamoto smiled relieved then still kneeling he turned around with his back facing her. "Come on, we can hang out at the dojo Dad's been taking care of if don't have anything else to do."

"Aa...okay." Ashlynn wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as he grabbed her knees and headed past the apartment complexes to the shrine. She smiled knowingly. "You need a little help figuring out how to transcend Squalo?"

"Haha! Well, yeah but I want to hang out too. The group has been mostly split up over the past week or so to prepare and we only see each other at the matches at Nami junior at that's always serious."

"Yeah..."

"But, I'm not too worried about tonight, anyway." Yamamoto grinned. "I'm sure everything will turn out all right and then Tsuna will be the official person to be the Boss. I don't really want to play the mafia game with that Xanxus guy."

"I don't think anyone would really want to."

"Except for his team of course." He reminded her then added as an afterthought. "I think that they're taking this too seriously. I mean what those Cervello ladies are coming up with for the arenas and the conditions they're adding in and our side seems for concerned about it then the other side."

'Yeah, but you need to understand that they're not playing around, Yamamoto, and this is indeed very serious. Life and Death serious.' Ashlynn closed her eyes. "They've been serious about it the last three battles so better expect that the next ones will be the same."

"But they really shouldn't be though."

Ashlynn sighed out loud. "Perhaps, but Yamamoto, if they're going to take it seriously then so should we otherwise it will do nothing but get everyone on our side hurt."

"Haha, I think you're worrying too much about it!" Yamamoto smiled as he started up the steps of the shrine and Ashlynn was thankful that there weren't so many steps. She wasn't fat but carrying her more than a couple blocks and now up a flight of stairs? She was a little bit surprised that the boy hadn't broken a sweat yet.

He kicked off his shoes at the small stairs and slipped off hers and dropped them next to his own before he stepped on to the wood of the outside flooring and opened the front sliding door and pressed it shut with his foot when they were both inside.

Ashlynn peered over his head once they passed through a hallway and into the man room of the building. "Wow, it's pretty big. And it's taken care of very well too."

Yamamoto hummed in agreement as he walked to the farthest side where he set her down before he slid open the doors to the grounds outside to let more light in then sat on the floor next to her then fell onto his back and looked at the ceiling. "Dad learned kendo in this very shrine and it's where he's been teaching me the Shigure Souen style."

"Shigure Souen?"

"Mmmm, Dad showed me the forms only once...said that if I didn't remember them then the style was meant to fade away from the world. But, I've made sure to go through the stances every so often. Here, I'll show you." Yamamoto got up to his feet and jogged over to the end of the building and brought back a bamboo sword with him, then slowly began to go through each form for her to see then looked to her when he finished the last one. "I know Dino said not to rely on a single style..."

"But you don't have the time to learn another style at such short notice. Even learning all of those forms took time to work through." Ashlynn tapped her chin.

"Yeah, so I'll just end up sticking to using what Dad taught me and hope for the best."

"You've been keeping up with your other training I hope? Stretching and running?"

Yamamoto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Not all that much, sorry. I've been focusing on the sword..."

"Well, now is a good a time as any." Ashlynn told the boy from the floor stretching out her legs and leaning over her knees to touch her toes. "C'mon, on the floor. I'll save you the terror of having to go into a splits since it's your battle tonight. Laps too since I'm not exactly in the condition to go sprinting."

"Haha~! So you noticed." He laughed but did move to join her, softly counting out with her as they began to stretch.

Ashlynn grinned. "I'm sure no boy genuinely enjoys moving into the splits. Some are more vocal or visual about it. Like Tsuna, Gokudera, and Ryohei. I'm sure I heard something pop when those three went down."

"Gokudera kept glaring at us." He snorted.

"Us?" She blinked turning her eyes top him. "No way, I'm sure he was glaring at you more because you were laughing...I was too of course, but I'm sure I was much more discreet about making fun of him."

"So that's why your shoulders were shaking?"

"Crap, it was obvious then." Ashlynn shook her head. "And I didn't really make it better when I told him that if he decided to smoke during morning training then he would have to do extra laps. Then Ryohei would start claiming that he would do more than the extra amount that Gokudera was to do."

"Senpai is just competitive."

"If you want to call it that. 'Extreme' fits him better."

"Hahaha!"

She stuck with him with all of the afternoon, either going through stretches (which was helping her legs and would make sure she wouldn't need to be carried anywhere) or watching him go through all the forms of Shigure Souen. They had stopped for awhile when his father came to check on Yamamoto and to drop off sushi for lunch (and later dinner) before returning back to the restaurant with a promise that he'd be back in a bit to give something to his son.

They paused when they heard the front door slide open again a few hours later, a little before it was time to leave for Namimori Junior, and smiled a greeting as Tsuna poked his head around the corner of the hallway then stepped into the room with Reborn following after him.

"Sorry." Tsuna said. "I hope I'm not interrupting. We were coming back from training and the dojo was on the way so I thought I come by and see you."

"Ciaossu Yamamoto, Ashlynn."

Yamamoto smiled. "Hey kid."

"So have you thought about how to transcend your style?"

Tsuna whipped his head to the hitman. 'Without any warning he goes straight to the heart of the matter!'

"Hmm, I've thought about it. But I don't know if my style will work without transcending unless I try."

Ashlynn grinned. 'Just like you to think that way.'

"Anyway, I think we'll be fine, so don't worry too much about it Tsuna." Yamamoto told the boy reaching into his shirt and pulled out two chains. One had the half ring and the other, interesting enough, had the dog tag that Dolly had given them. "We're part of a team and I don't let my teams down."

Tsuna blinked. "Eh? That's the dog tag Dolly-san gave you. You wear it?"

"Haha! Of course I do. It was a gift and I feel like team when we wear them. Those Varia guys all wear a uniform. And we wore our school uniforms except for Ashlynn who goes to the high school...It's nice to have something to set us apart from the other team though the Mist guy doesn't have one and I'm not sure if Hibari has one."

Ashlynn nodded. "I'll talk to Dolly about it when we're done with this."

Yamamoto smiled thankfully then tilted his head at Tsuna and Reborn. "Do you guys still wear the bracelets that Ashlynn gave to you? And what about your tags?"

"I do." Reborn lifted his coat sleeve up to show the crocheted piece of jewelry. then reached inside of his coat to a pocket on the inside and showed the dog tag. "Tsuna wore his for a while then he left it in the drawer of his desk."

"Hiiiie! Reborn!"

Ashlynn herself pulled her dagger from its hidden place under the straps of her bra and showed it and the dog tag attached to the small hilt before putting it back in its place. "I don't like having anything around my neck so I attached it to that dagger. I would have put it on the chakram but it wouldn't stay in place when changed from the bracelet to the weapon."

"Where did you find those bracelets anyway Ashlynn?" Tsuna asked.

She shifted. "Dolly helped me find the materials...and I kinda made them myself...took a couple screw ups on the practice ones before I started on yours and Reborn's."

"R-Really?"

"Wow, that's really cool Ashlynn!"

"Fnn, I would have given you more points had we known that."

Ashlynn shrugged but had a please smile on her face. "Do you want one Yamamoto?"

"If you wouldn't mind it."

"Hey, Takeshi! Dad's come back- Oh? Well if it isn't Tsuna-kun."

"Oh, H-hello."

"Hey Dad."

The older man grinned still having his cooking apron on and was holding a a covered sword on his back, covered in a sky blue cloth with darker blue birds in flight. "It's today isn't it? Your sword fight?"

"Aa, but how did you-?"

"Weeeell~, I didn't. I kinda guessed what this was about." The man closed his eyes with a grin. "Then...actually Tsuna-kun's father came over to tell me what was going on."

'Dad came to talk to him! What, what on Earth did he tell him?' Tsuna worried his lip.

Tsuyoshi continued, his eyes on his boy. "Your opponent tonight is a terribly strong swordsman, huh?"

"Yeah," Yamamoto nodded. "He's strong."

"Then take this with you Takeshi." The older Yamamoto male handed the clothed weapon over.

The silk cloth slipped away from the sword to reveal it to appear wooden like the one Yamamoto had been using earlier. Yamamoto handed Ashlynn the cloth to hold onto and tested out the weight of the sword. "It's just a bamboo sword isn't it?" He asked. "But it can't be that- It's too heavy for it to be bamboo."

"That's because it was forged from steel. Here, I'll show you." Tsuyoshi took the sword back and pulled a cucumber from a pocket of his apron. "This sword has been passed down eight generations as an heirloom to each successor of the Shigure Souen style. The blades name is called 'Shigure Kintoki'. When used in an oridnary manner, it is just as it looks, just an ordinary yet heavy bamboo sword. It won't cut flesh, it can't even cut this cucumber. However, when you draw it using the Shigure Souen style.." He tossed the cucumber into the air and slashed at the mid-air vegetable and sent it falling in small even slices. He held the changed sword up for them to see. "The body of the sword will give way to expose the blade. But if it used for anything other than Shigure Souen then it will return to into its bamboo form. In all it is a sword that was meant to specialize in Shigure Souen."

"Fnn, it is like Yamamoto's bat except that its default form is made of bamboo." Reborn nodded.

"But...You can't use that tonight..." Tsuna trailed off. 'Yamamoto can't transcend the style if the sword won't work for anything but that single style.'

Tsuyoshi's eyes narrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Aa, the guy I'm up against is a really strong person who has already defeated a lot of sword schools. Dino said the only way to beat him is to transcend style." Yamamoto confessed.

"What? What are you saying! Idiots shouldn't talk about what they do not understand! Listen to me Takeshi: The eight forms of the Shigure Souen style were continuously refined and accumulated in real combat by its successors. It is a flawless style that doesn't waste any movement! There is absolutely no way to transcend it!"

'...Makes one wonder what your occupation was before you became a sushi chef, Tsuyoshi-san~' Ashlynn merely sat back and watched the conversation unfold in front of her.

Yamamoto raised his hands. "All right, all right, I know Dad. You think highly of the style-"

"Are you listening to me Takeshi? The Shigure Souen style is Invincible! Flawless! There is no need to transcend!" The man calmed himself with a few breaths before staring then all down. "You will go tonight, Takeshi, and you will battle with this man and you will do battle with this blade using the Shigure Souen style." Tsuyoshi nodded then turned his back and went for the hallway leading to the door. He looked back at them and smirked.

"And you will win."

* * *

><p>'And here we go.' Ashlynn mused to herself as Squalo jumped out of nowhere and onto the railing of the main building of the school in front of them.<p>

"VOOOOI! So you didn't run off, Katana brat! Saves me the trouble of hunting you down if you had!"

"I said I wouldn't didn't I? I'll defeat with this blade here." Yamamoto declared still smiling as he moved the bamboo sword into its steel form.

"Y-Yamamoto...you aren't planning to transcend?" Tsuna asked worried.

The boy shook his head. "Dad claims it's invincible. Besides I won't truly know until I try it out right?"

"Invincible?" Squalo laughed with a savage grin. "I've destroyed countless of losers who thought their technique was invincible!"

"Hiiiiie! No way! Yamamoto, maybe using Shigure Kintoki was a wrong choice after all!" Tsuna cried hands gripping the sides of his head in despair.

"Tsuna." Ashlynn chided.

"You really think that Tsuna?...I'm not so sure." Yamamoto gazed at the blade in his hands "It feels just like being in the batter's box with just one more chance to score. You get so revved up that you start getting chills from the adrenaline and the excitement budding up around you."

"The Rain Guardians are here."

Ashlynn looked behind them and found the two Cervello women not too far away.

One of them pointed to the left. "Tonight's battle for the Ring will take place in the B building. Please make your way over to the designated area."

"So we are still using the school buildings even though Hibari-san got mad last night? They did say that they would take care of the repairs but still...what is the field going to look like this time?" Tsuna murmured to himself as they made their way to the predetermined building they were to use.

"Hey! Wait for us!"

"Eh? Dolly-san, Onii-san- Hiiiiiie! A Mummy!" Tsuna screamed pointing and the wrapped up figure between Ryohei and a bemused Dolly.

Ashlynn snorted as a hand beneath all of the bandages pulled at the wrappings that obscured the head and Gokudera's irritated face and hair parted through.

"It's me Juudaime! That Romario Ossan said something about this being a 'man's treatment', then he clumsily wrapped me up!" Gokudera seethed as he un-mummified himself. Dolly walked forward and checked Ashlynn over even though she had already done so earlier that morning; she grunted but found nothing wrong and after a quick glance they started walking to the edge of the main building.

"G-Gokudera-kun...you..you're alright, aren't you? Your wounds..."

Ryohei nodded smacking the bandaged boy on the back and ignored the squawk of indignation the boy gave as he answered. "Apparently. Though he is supposed to be in bed resting to regain his strength but I found him and he said that he was going to come no matter what; so I lent him an Extreme hand!"

"I never asked you for help Turf Top!" Gokudera snarled. "I wasn't going to go down without knowing how the match went. Baseball freak! You better not let us down tonight!"

"You're such a worrywart, Gokudera. Is that why your hair is so grey?" Yamamoto smiled.

"And you're too carefree!" Gokudera argued. "And there's nothing wrong with my hair you bastard!"

"Uhhh, guys?" Ashlynn called for attention with Dolly beside her some ways away from the group with their attention transfixed on the building that was boarded up in many places with steel that was no doubt going to be used for the battle tonight. When she was ignored she stuck two fingers into her mouth and gave a loud whistle. "How about we get a move on?"

"Haha, you're right! Let's go." Yamamoto lead the way over and patted her hair on his way past her. Ashlynn rolled her eyes. What was with this kid and patting her hair all of the time-?

"What? What happened to the building?" Tsuna gaped. "All the windows are sealed. They even replaced the door with their own!"

"And it seems it is the only way in." Reborn nodded for Yamamoto to go ahead.

The boy tilted his head. "What's that sound?"

The door opened and inside the building, the floors were flooded, enough that water filted out between their feet to the ground outside, and there were large holes in the ceiling which explained how there were some desks laying forgotten on the ground.

"They went pretty far in their interior decorating." Ashlynn observed blandly lifting Reborn up into her arms to keep him dry.

"This is the battlefield for the Ring of Rain." The Cervello announced dropping in from the second floor to stand on a large piece of what had been part of the ceiling. "Aquarion. Battle contestants will make use of the entire building consisting of all three floor levels. And while the battle continues on, water will cascade to the bottom filling up the building like a fish bowl from a tank that is located on the roof."

"So like a sinking ship..." Ryohei trailed.

Ashlynn nodded. "They'll have to fight while keeping in mind that there's a possibility of drowning."

"Furthermore," The Cervello continued when the commentary stopped. "The collecting water has been specifically modified to match the consistency of seawater. Then when the water level reaches a certain point a ferocious sea beast will be released into the arena."

"A 'ferocious sea beast'? Oh my, I wonder what that possibly could be." Ashlynn muttered sarcastically. Dolly nudged her side to quiet her commentary.

"Well doesn't that make it interesting." Squalo sneered from the second floor as the rest of the Varia sans Lussuria joined his side.

"Ushishishi." Bel laughed showing off the ring on his right hand. "The amazing Prince woke up this morning with a new bauble."

Gokudera glared. "You bastard."

'Looky who showed up.' Ashlynn stared as Xanxus pushed through and mentally sighed as Tsuna sucked in a shriek of terror then reminded herself that Tsuna and the rest didn't know that the Varia would unite with them in the Future Arc; so to them this to them, and especially Tsuna, very serious and frightening.

"Pathetic dogs should just disappear. You worms." Xanxus addressed their group with a growing superior smirk as his eyes slanted to glance at Squalo. "Can get rid of this trash for me."

"What! VOOOOOOI!" Squalo snarled at the leaving man's back.

Reborn lowered his head. "He truly meant that..."

Tsuna gulped. 'Xanxus...he really...wants Squalo to lose? But why? We're already in the lead for the rings...doesn't he want to win so he can become the Boss?'

"Now, now, don't scare them before the match even begins, Reborn."

"Eh?" Tsuna turned to the doorway behind them. "Dino-san, Romario, Basil-kun."

The Blonde Boss nodded walking forward and kissed Ashlynn's cheek who ignored Dolly's raised eyebrows and the twitch to the older woman's lips when Basil greeted her with a 'M'Lady'. "Hey guys. Yamamoto, I hope you don't mind me watching tonight. That Kyouya finally listened to my explanation about the scramble for the rings yesterday, so he may be here watching as well..."

"You mean he really didn't know until yesterday?" Tsuna gasped.

Ryohei gathered Ashlynn and Yamamoto by his side. "Yosh! If Hibari is here then let's have him join the huddle!"

"That's impossible." Gokudera grumbled.

Tsuna nodded fearfully. "We'll all be killed because of the crowd around him..."

"No! I won't take any exceptions!"

"All right, all right, Onii-san..." Tsuna placated. "I don't mean that we should replace him...but wouldn't it be alright if we included Basil-kun?"

"This one?...Is that really alright?" Basil pointed to himself before he was quickly pulled in by Ryohei into the group as the others huddled together and Reborn jumped away to land on Dino's shoulder.

"YAMAMOTO...FIGHT!...OH-!"

"Then would the Guardians report to the center of the building?" The Cervello requested. "In addition to the submersion, the audience will be spectating outside the school building. The match will be projected onto a giant screen that has been installed into the wall. All persons save for the Guardians should vacate the premises."

"Go get'em Yamamoto!" Ryohei clapped his hand on Yamamoto's back.

Gokudera glowered lighting a cigarette. "You better not lose."

"Do..Do your best Yamamoto." Tsuna wished for the boy with Ashlynn and Dolly nodding beside him.

Yamamoto smiled. "Yeah! I'll see you afterwards!"

"Let's go Tsuna." Ashlynn said with a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine."

"Unn,..." Tsuna looked back at Yamamoto as he slowly disappeared into the dark room before following everyone out of the building where the door latched shut the moment they stepped fully outside. 'Please be careful, Yamamoto.'

"There will be no time limit for this round. Superbi Squalo vs Yamamoto Takeshi. Begin the battle!"

"Fly!" Squalo snarled shooting forward and slicing the blade at Yamamoto horizontally, his opponent dodged but as he continued on after passing bits from the blade shot out just as Yamamoto turned around and only had a split second to hurl himself away from the lit gunpowder and explosive.

Gokudera grimaced. "I forgot about that. He used that trick against us when we fought against him the last time."

Squalo's feet made little splashes against the water as he skidded to a stop. "Ho, avoided that did you?"

"Barely though. I've kept it in mind while image training. Looks like it paid off."

"Image training? Trash, was this in your training?" Squalo rushed forward then disappeared from the boy's view then as Yamamoto searched with his eyes he struck from the boy's side meeting against steel. "Hey! If you thought that was my real strength… Big mistake!"

"He's fast!" Ryohei said staring at the screen.

Squalo smirked as he released more explosives from his sword at close quarters before leaping away. "And now for you to die. Farewell, trash."

"Hiiiie! Yamamoto!"

"Lord Yamamoto!"

"He's fine. Look at the shape of the smoke." Reborn motioned to the screen. "Yamamoto has used one of the defensive forms of the Shigure Souen."

Yamamoto lowered his blade ever so slightly as the smoke of the explosion blew away and water droplets fell from mid air around him. "Seventh Defensive form: Spraying Rain'."

"He dodged it!" Tsuna sighed in relief.

"Shigure Souen style." Dino said eyes fixed on the screen. "It's still rough about the edges but to have come this far in such a short amount of time..."

Reborn nodded. "Indeed. In this one week, other than during the time of everyone's matches, he's been practicing nearly non-stop. However...No matter how much he hones his skills from practices, and everyone of you as well, there is a vast difference between learning forms and using them in combat situations. Let alone during this sort of life and death struggle; When an ordinary person can fight fearlessly when suddenly plunged into the midst of battle, other than the fact they may be an idiot… it also means they have the natural born instincts of an assassin."

"Hiiiiiie! Yamamoto's an assassin? Reborn, what on Earth are you saying?" Tsuna cried.

"Well, either way," Reborn looked back to the screen. "Aren't I, as the one who noticed that Yamamoto harbored those instincts, the best?"

"In the end, you're just praising yourself." Tsuna grumbled.

Dino sighed. "...However...It's dangerous for him to keep using just the Shigure Souen."

Tsuna hid his face in his hands. "And there's Dino-san saying that again. But," Tsuna looked back up. "Aren't his movements proving to be effective enough?"

"VOOOOOIII!" Squalo yelled darting around the supports of the building and released more pieces of explosives at his opponent creating waves across the flooded floor and herded the boy where he wanted him. "Come on! Don't freeze up on me Katana Brat!"

'Crap! He has me cornered!' Yamamoto adjusted his grip and lowered the blade to the level of his hip. "At at time like this...I should use that form." He allowed the tip of the blade to set into the water then swung the sword up above his head, forming a long trail of water to block against the onslaught of explosives then swished the blade again across the space in front of him to form another trail to combine with the first and created a wall of water to defend from any counter to his defense as he knelt defensively on one knee. Squalo tched as he swung the Spatha sword but didn't cut all the way through the wall of water.

"What? What is that?" Gokudera stared.

Reborn smirked. "The second defensive form of the Shigure Souen:"

"Surging Rain."

"So, so! Yamamoto will be okay!" Tsuna smiled. "The Shigure Souen is working!"

"That would be nice if that were the case..." Reborn said.

Dino furrowed his brows. "Yeah...Squalo...he looks pleased about something."

"VOOOOOII! You brat, why didn't you attack after defending? Are you an idiot or what? Just now you just gave up a chance to wound me!" Squalo smirked.

Yamamoto grinned. "You talk pretty big you know? But trust me, this isn't all there is to the Shigure Souen."

"That's right." Reborn explained for the group. "The Shigure Souen style has four offensive and defensive formations, so that makes eight forms that allows one to respond in accordance to different situations."

"Eh? Yamamoto's charging forward!" Tsuna squealed.

Ryohei pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! Go Yamamoto! Charge to the EXTREME!"

Yamamoto darted forward and with Shigure Kintoki in his left hand and slashed the blade at Squalo who immediately raised his blade to block. The man frowned as the blade didn't meet his own.

"The katana!" Basil gasped. "It is not in Lord Yamamoto's hand!"

"Shigure Souen style's fifth offensive form." Reborn smirked as Yamamoto faked the first slash and released the blade from his left hand to catch it in his right and attacked the man with the real strike across the stomach sending Squalo falling backwards a few feet and down into the rising water.

"Early Summer Rain."

"That there, what Lord Yamamoto did..." Basil breathed.

Reborn lowered his head. " 'Early Summer Rain'. A slicing attack where the blade is switched hands during the swing, and both the timing and the trajectory of the attack are shifted freely."

Gokudera looked away with a slight grimace. "...We... well, it's not like he's doing badly..."

'...Am I the only competitor on this side that is taking the fact that Squalo was in line to be the Varia's Boss, seriously? I don't want to be the one that says anything because that will hurt the morale and then Tsuna will make that face...' Ashlynn frowned and jumped a little when Squalo yelled as he flipped himself off the ground back to his feet.

"HEEEEEY! That didn't do anything at all!"

"He wasn't hit?" Ryohei questioned.

"But!-" Tsuna started to protest."

Dino cut in to explain. "In an instant he figured out the trajectory then made went with the motion as if he was actually struck."

"But how?"

"The only explanation Tsuna is that Squalo knows the Shigure Souen and knows how to defeat it."

Squalo scowled. "So much for an invincible style huh? And another thing you brat. Why did you use the blunt side of the sword instead of the blade?"

"Well, about that.." Yamamoto smiled. "I'm just here to win against you, not to kill you Squalo."

Gokudera blanched. "He actually said it. That optimistic bastard."

"HEEEYY! You're underestimating me you piece of trash! Looks like you don't fully understand what kind of situation that you're in!" Squalo yelled bringing up his blade as he ran forward smirking as Yamamoto prepared to use Surging Rain again and at the same time Squalo slashed up his own trail of water bringing the water level up. "I'll make it so you can never spit that naivety again!"

"...!"

"He raised his own at the same time." Dino said as Tsuna and Gokudera gaped. "Now the field of vision is- Crap, Whoever finds the other first-!"

"Closing in on the far right. The boy needs to move..." Dolly murmured darkly.

Yamamoto gasped and tried to back away but did not get more than half a step as Squalo appeared smirking through the falling water and slashed at him catching him from the top of his shoulder shallowly down to the middle of his chest where blood spurted from the acquired wound.

"How's that, brat? Hurts doesn't it?" Squalo asked as Yamamoto dropped down to a knee with a hand grasping at the wound. "Let me tell you a piece of bad news that'll make you despair. I've completely seen through all of your techniques."

"No way..."

"That's right! This Shigure Souen style of yours? It's a style that I've already defeated a long time ago!" He snarked thumbing long strands of hair away from clinging wetly to his face. "To defeat the man called the 'Emperor of the Sword', and overcome his mastery of his weapon I searched out for strong opponents. I checked out a rumor of a vanishing style here in the East, a sword of murder that was said to be completely flawless; Hehe, that was your precious Shigure Souen! I found them, the master and his two apprentices who used the same eight stances that you do. But it was nothing more than an imitation of an ancient sword technique! I've experienced each every form when I fought with them and it didn't do them any good! I sliced them all to ribbons!"

"H-how...? How can something like that...?" Tsuna whispered.

Reborn shook his head grimly. "I'm afraid his words hold truth. Squalo's ability to see through techniques is even faster than his ability to deflect them."

"I don' think so..." Yamamoto stood back on his feet though he still gingerly held to his chest. "The Shigure Souen that Dad taught me is invincible."

"Lord Yamamoto...he still plans to use the Shigure Souen?" Basil frowned.

"Ha! Are you really an idiot?"

"I won't know for sure unless I try."

Squalo gave a savage grin. "I'm...done holding back."

"Let's go!"

The two clashed against each other with their blades before moving away to clash again. Sparks flew from the grinding steel as they traded blows as they moved about the flooding building. Squalo followed after Yamamoto as he tried to get some distance to the side then as Yamamoto turned to pull off an offensive form, Squalo swung his blade horizontally catching a part of one of the supports and sent the shards of debris crashing into the younger male, striking up the arm, the neck, forehead, and his right eye.

"Hiiiie! Yamamoto!"

Basil yelled. "The shards from the column!"

"Aaaargh!"

"Come on trash! Keep moving !" Squalo yelled shooting forward forcing Yamamoto to quickly right himself while keeping his right closed as he he moved to use Early Summer Rain. The long haired man smirked as he met the blade with his own sword.

"Why isn't he moving? Yamamoto!" Ryohei yelled as Yamamoto suddenly froze in place.

"Die!" Squalo brought down the Spatha.

"Keh!" Yamamoto punched his own arm to move but was not in time to parry the strike that came across his abdomen and he was thrown back into a wall.

Dolly glowered. "What was that?"

"I recognize it only vaguely. An attack that Squalo uses to send shock wave into the opponents body through the meeting of blades that attacks the nerves. Its impact is stronger than being hit with a baseball bat. Yamamoto won't have any use of that hand for a while." Dino informed them gravely.

Yamamoto grunted clambering up one of the fallen supports nearly slipping on the foot holes to the second floor and blew on his numb hand to try and bring some feeling back into the limb.

Squalo bounded after him. "VOOOOOI! You're not trying to escape are you? Heh, disintegrate!"

The boy gasped as the floor below him cracked and crumbled, its pieces smashing against and breaking through skin from the Varia man's attack from the lower floor. Squalo smirked heaving himself to the second floor as Yamamoto fell brokenly back down to the flooding bottom level, landing on a broken support beam that barely kept him above the rising waters.

Gokudera's jaw dropped. "Y-Yamamoto!"

"Shit." Dolly cursed, her hands tightened into fists and her knuckled turning white from the force.

Tsuna was beginning to tear up. "N-no!"

Ashlynn closed her eyes worrying her lip with clenched teeth. This, this was almost too hard to for her to watch. It was completely one thing to watch fights like this from a couch to actually seeing blood being spilled in front of her. Ryohei, Gokudera, and Yamamoto...she did not like seeing them be so thoroughly beaten while all she could was stand back and watch with only the knowledge that everything was going to turn out okay. She opened her eyes and had to strain her ears to hear Yamamoto comment that if his Dad were here to see this one-sided fight he would be disappointed in him. 'Yamamoto...'

"What...what a formidable attack..." Basil spoke his eyes wide. "It is as if he had tore through the air..."

"Hey brat! You still have any fight left in you? With that crappy style you're so proud of? Ha! Since you're the successor, how about I show you all eight forms?" Squalo taunted. "In the end when the eight form, Autumn Rain, is used, you can just tragically disintegrate!"

Yamamoto frowned. 'Autumn Rain...? What the heck is that...? I've never heard of it befo-..." His uninjured eye widened then he smiled in understanding. 'So, that's what you meant, Dad...'

"Hey brats outside!" Squalo shouted. "This is the Katana Brat's ugly last moments being alive in this world so make sure you burn them into your pathetic little minds!...Mn? Hey, brat! Lay back down and wait for your life to slip away!"

"I can't do that." Yamamoto stood shakily on his feet. "Because the Shigure Souen is invincible and flawless and I haven't tried everything yet."

"Idiot! Bluffing isn't going to help you, Baseball Freak!" Gokudera bit out.

Squalo raised his sword. "You trash! I'll start by cutting out that insolent tongue of yours!"

He drew the blade across the water and began running for the support that lead back up to the second floor, creating waves as Shigure Kintoki slit into the water, the tip being barely a half a step behind him. Yamamoto gritted his teeth.

'Haha! You're being really energetic, Takeshi! How is it going with the Shigure Souen? Do you have all of the forms down?" His father had asked him during one of his breaks from the restaurant

Yamamoto and Squalo clashed on the second floor and used the defensive forms as Squalo pushed him from bis own onslaught of attacks, a good many of them sending down a numbing shock through his body.

And he had laughed rubbing the back of his neck. 'More or less. But, right now, the form that I'm best at is the eighth form: 'Pouring Rain'. I don't know why but that one comes the easiest and I seem to get used it quicker than the other forms.'

'Hoo- very alike! I see, I see.' Tsuyoshi smiled then explained for his befuddled child. 'Pouring Rain, the eighth form, the last form to come into existence; the story is that the young successor created it while rescuing his comrade. Heh, the forms actually have an order in which they appear.'

'That makes sense.' Yamamoto had nodded in agreement. 'Everything has to come in some sort of order.'

He clenched his hands tightly around the hilt of Shigure Kintoki...

'Pouring Rain...it came into being at the brink of a typhoon, spun out in the midst of rain as fierce as knives...' Tsuyoshi broke off with an almost nostalgic look on his face.

"Hey! Looks like you don't have any brains left in that skull of yours! Have you forgotten? I know all the forms of Shigure Souen and I know the stance you're pulling off now!" Squalo rushed at the younger male. "Well then, do it! 'Autumn Rain!'"

'Shigure Souen style...Eighth offensive form...' Yamamoto raised the blade as both combatants leaped into the air with their blades pointed at each other. Yamamoto ducked beneath the Spatha and swung Shigure Kintoki pouring water up from the now flooding second floor and sliced through the shoots of liquid into Squalo's abdomen and pushed the man up and and sent him falling feet behind him. 'Pouring Rain.'

"...Guh, hehe, Hahahaha! I thought so!" Squalo spat blood out of his mouth into the water and pushed himself off the ground. "You! You used another style other than the Shigure Souen, didn't you!"

"Nope. That was definitely Shigure Souen...the eighth form, 'Pouring Rain'...it was created by my father." Yamamoto revealed with a sharp glint in his eyes.

Reborn rubbed his chin. "I see, therefore eight generations, there are eight forms. For the Shigure Souen, to undergo succession is to undergo change."

"Change?" Dolly glanced out of the corner of her eye.

Ashlynn kept her eyes on the screen already knowing the explanation though everyone else save for Dino looked to the Arcobaleno for an explanation.

And he did. "It is likely that Yamamoto's father and the successor that Squalo defeated learned the first seven forms from the same Master. Afterwards they created their own eighth form." Reborn paused for them to take in the information then continued. "The successors of the Shigure Souen style carry on the forms handed down by their predecessors then they created a new form to pass down to their own apprentice."

"But...But if the succession worked in such a manner...if each succession branches off between the number of apprentices, would there not be numerous new forms that were created?" Basil queried.

Reborn shook his head negatively. "It is an all-or-nothing, severe type of form succession. Change consists not only in progression but also out of regression. To become the strongest of that style, you become the target of those who are strong. It is just like pursuing yourself. Therefore, the Shigure Souen style is a style that, when successors with the requisite spirit and talent can no longer be found, it is fated to forever disappear from the world. It is a sword of ruin."

"Hmph brat. I really didn't expect you to get this far...so I don't understand why the hell you keep striking pathetically with the back of your blade! You're making a mockery of a genuine sword match you trash!" Squalo raged. "Or do you have some other form that I haven't seen before to redeem yourself?"

Yamamoto tilted his head. "..Mn? It's a pity but the first through seven forms are the same ones that you already know, Squalo."

"You idiot, don't be so honest about it!" Dino groaned.

Squalo laughed. "Looks like you're dead after all! Having tasted Pouring Rain once I've seen through it."

"What! No way!" Ryohei protested.

"Haha, you're really something, aren't you? Well, I guess it can't be helped." Yamamoto raised the now bamboo sword into the air. "Shigure Souen style: Ninth form."

"N-ninth form? But didn't you just say that there were only eight?" Tsuna frowned.

"That is to say...Lord Yamamoto...""

"Hmph." Reborn tipped his fedora down over the top portion of his face. "That Yamamoto, he intends to unleash a new form of his own."

Dino nodded. "I see. A style that transcends style...provided that it succeeds..."

"They don't have that much time..." Ashlynn pointed out grimly. "The bottom floor is already submerged and the second floor is starting to flood up...they'll release the sea creature soon."

"The Hell is with that ridiculous stance?" Squalo snorted. "Are you planning to play baseball?"

Yamamoto smiled. "Unfortunately, I'm not much good at anything but baseball."

"He plans to end it here." Gokudera lit a cigarette.

"But! The sword went back in to its bamboo form! If he doesn't use the Sigure Souen then it won't transform!" Tsuna cried.

Dino kept his eyes on the screen. "That must be why his father gave him that sword. If Yamamoto cannot get Shigure Kintoki to change into its' blade form for this technique then Yamamoto isn't worthy of becoming a successor and thus Shigure Souen will disappear.

"But that's really dangerous!'

Basil pointed. "Squalo is moving!"

"Don't you dare freeze now! Experience the true power of my sword!" Squalo slashed at the space between him and Yamamoto and bolted down the now clear path as water parted out of the way.

"The water-!" Rohei gasped.

Yamamoto swung the sword as if he was holding a baseball bat and the water from the parted path swirled and collided into a typhoon with what looked like a blue bird leading the strike and he disappeared within the waves as it surrounded Squalo from all sides then fell upon the man with a downwards attack as the water slammed into the spot where Squalo had passed.

"Shigure Souen Style, Ninth offensive form..."

Gokudera grinded his teeth. "No! He dodged it!"

The water swirled around again as Yamamoto tried to get in a hit again. Squalo smirked as he caught a reflection from the water. 'Coming in from behind and using the bladed edge? Heh, impressive...however my sword had no blind spots!'

'Come on!' Ashlynn bit her lip wincing as Squalo's hand bent at an awkward to stab Yamamoto from facing the opposite direction showing off that his hand wasn't really flesh but made from metal.

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna shouted.

"!" Squalo's eyes widened as waves crashed into him from behind where he had stabbed...'What! It can't be! What I just hit was..!'

"An illusion projected on the surface of the water." Reborn murmured.

"Mirroring Rain!" Yamamoto appeared at his side as he brought down his blade into Squalo's back knocking him into the ground, pulling onto the chain and breaking it off of his neck, making Ashlynn immediately grab onto her own neck with a grimace.

Squalo coughed falling face first into the flooded floor. 'This...this is...defeat...'

"He used 'Surging Rain' with the first swing of his sword to create waves for the sake of reflecting his image against the water behind Squalo as a decoy while he attacked from another direction." Reborn smirked as Yamamoto held up the complete Rain ring.

Yamamoto smiled holding up the completed Rain ring.

"Wow! So he made up an awesome technique like that... on the spot?" Tsuna asked wide eyed.

Reborn tutted. "Didn't I say so? Yamamoto has the instincts of a natural hitman."

"Heh, that guy..." Gokudera scowled but the tone wasn't harsh.

"Alright Yamamoto! Victory to the EXTREME!" Ryohei cheered. "C'mon! Let's go get him!"

"Please wait." A Cervello woman landed in front of them. "It is dangerous to enter Aquarion at the moment. The designated water depth as been reached and the ferocious sea beast has been released into the arena. Please remain where you are."

The screen changed to show a large shark entering the building through a gate underwater. Tsuna cried. "It's a shark!"

"That thing is huge!" Ashlynn stiffened. 'What the Hell! It wasn't that big before!'

Yamamoto jumped a little when he heard the Cervello's message from inside the building and Tsuna's shout of surprise and Ashlynn's voice. He looked up frowning as water still poured from above. "Ummm," He called out unsure if they could hear him as well. "Hold...wait a second. What about Squalo?"

"As the battle is over Superbi Squalo's survival is no longer our responsibility." The Cervello announced.

"Wha? Are you serious?" Ryohei demanded.

Yamamoto exhaled through his nose. "I thought that might be the case." Yamamoto knelt beside the fallen man and lifted Squalo to his feet and supported him as he tried to find an exit from the building. 'Should I go up?'

"Eh? Yamamoto? The water's still flooding up the building! You won't be able to get out in time!" Tsuna warned.

"I'm not just going to leave him here. Besides the shark can't get up here just ye-!" Yamamoto yelped as the shark butted against the floor just below his feet and stumbled as it began to crack away from the rest of the flooring. "Crap!"

"Lord Yamamoto!"

"Hiiiiiie! The shark's attacking the ceiling!" Tsuna cried. "Yamamoto!"

"It's because of the blood!" Gokudera yelled. "Hurry! You have to get out of there!"

"...Hey..." Squalo growled at the boy as Yamamoto carried them both to the support beam that leaned against the next floor to higher ground. "You're tainting my honor...as a swordsman. Put me down...brat."

"But Squalo-"

"Heh...your skill with a sword isn't all that bad...next, you should get rid of that damned naiveté of yours. It's annoying..." With the last remains of his strength Squalo kicked the younger swordsman back to the slab that would help him to the next floor as he fell back to the second floor where he stared down the beast that leaped out of the water and dove at him with it's maw gaping wide, swallowing Squalo whole before breaking into the floor and disappearing back into the water.

"S-Squalo..."Yamamoto stared shell- shocked as he fell to his knees, Shigure Kintoki resting on his uninjured shoulder as he lowered his head mournfully. "...Dammit..."

The screen changed to show the Cervello woman's face. "The victory of the scramble battle for the Ring of Rain goes to Yamamoto Takeshi. Now I shall announce the match up for tomorrow's battle..."

"This...this kind of ending..."Tsuna trailed off looking at his feet.

Dino released a sharp breath lowering his head. 'What a cruel thing to watch...their only middle school kids save for Ashlynn...but high school isn't that much better because of the civilian lifestyle most of them lead before this point...They shouldn't have been made to do this, to watch this...'

"Tomorrow will be the scramble for the rings of the mist."

"Aa, so it's finally that one's turn..." Reborn smirked.

Tsuna started. "Eh? Oi, Reborn, it's here! What should we do? I still don't know who the mist person is supposed to be!"

"Yeah! Who is it!" Ryohei turned to Gokudera. "Do you know?"

The smoker shrugged then the two of them plus Tsuna and Basil looked to Ashlynn and Dolly. The older woman shook her head but Ashlynn gave a coy smile before walking away towards the building.

"Hey! Ashlynn! You know who it is! Tell us!" Gokudera demanded.

"A-Ashlynn!"

She turned around and shook her head. "Some patience could do you a lot of good, you know? Just wait until tomorrow."

Tsuna turned to the thoughtful looking Reborn. "You told her but you won't tell the rest of us?"

"I didn't tell her Dame-Tsuna." He answered. "The Mist Guardian must have revealed their identity to her. I wonder when that occurred."

"Well then, why didn't he reveal himself to the rest of us?" Tsuna groaned.

The hitman shrugged and jumped off of Dino's shoulder. "Let's go Tsuna."

"W-wait! Reborn! What about Yamamoto?"

Dino flipped his phone shut. "Don't worry there's a car on the way to take him to clinic in a few minutes, I'll make sure he's okay. And look, Ashlynn is already helping him.

He pointed at the flight of stairs that was attached to the side of the building. Tsuna worried his lip as Ashlynn helped the boy, supporting his weight as they slowly descended down the steps, taking little breaks to steady themselves whenever Yamamoto's footing slipped.

"Here, Tsuna." Yamamoto smiled handing over the complete Rain ring.

"Y-Yamamoto..."

"C'mon," Dino stepped in taking the boy from Ashlynn. "We'll get you fixed up."

"Aa, thanks."

"Yamamoto..." Tsuna sighed watching them leave and waved goodbye as Gokudera and Ryohei left the campus along with Dolly and Ashlynn.

Dolly decided that for the night Ashlynn and Fon would be staying at her home for the night where she could keep a watchful eye and their presences within reach. Ashlynn smiled gratefully as her head laid down on the futon's pillow.

'You're up next Chrome...Mukuro...'

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><p>Notes:<p>

'Komuragaeri': in Japanese it literally means 'cramp in the leg'. Seriously these suck, and aterwards it makes you walk funny for the following two to six hours.

'Ossan' is a rude way to say 'old man'

Apparently 'sword schools' is how you refer to the many styles of swordsmanship

The sword that Squalo uses is called a Spatha, which is a sword that gladiators used.

Anyone else notice that in the Manga, the chapter ends with everyone wondering who the Mist Guardian is when Yamamoto was still in the watery building of doom where Squalo was just eaten by a shark? Messed up that it ended on such a lighter note then it should have. To them (save for Ashlynn but it's still bad that someone was beaten then swallowed by a shark) Squalo is dead. Same with Lussuria, he was shot because he lost. What's with these reactions to this violence? I understand that Reborn could be manipulating them to focus on something else but...still...

I'm trying to cut back on the amount of squiggles that I use (these things ~~~. I just learned that they're called tilda's), mainly because my sister was watching me while I was typing and she pointed out that she hated when writers used them too much. So I'll still use them when some characters talk: Lussuria will definitely be keeping it and I find it amusing to have Shamal have them because you see him drunk a couple times (he was drinking while Gokudera made paper airplanes), I find it natural to have Bel use them and when texts are exchanged. Other than that I don't know why I put them in...


	20. Chapter 20

**Attention FanBoys and Girls**!: It's getting closer to the end of the Varia Arc so this is the last call to vote in the Top Ten Poll for the main pairing! I will be revealing the results in the next installment so if you have not yet voted or used both of your votes, then please, please, pretty please go on and do so! Even if you do not have an account, please review or pm me your two votes (I have been counting review votes and pm votes! I have a separate page that I am using to tally everything). Again this is your last call to make your vote before I make a new poll out of the top five remaining choices (Which will be open for voting when I get a little ways into the Future Arc). And if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask me! It's the internet, I can't physically bite you!

Also if anyone really cares, all the chapters so far to this point have been uploaded to Deviant Art~

Ahhh! I broke a hundred reviews and favorites! Thank you to everyone who has submitted one and fave'd. Makes me very happy! :D

Yes, it's been forever since I last updated; for almost two weeks I have been tragically without internet connection but it has been fixed! (Also, this particular chapter was very challenging for me to shape out and I ended up rewriting it four times...). Silver also has classes starting and she needs to find a job...Silver wishes there was a magical Mafia she could be a part of...

**IrisDaGreat**: Hun, you're adorable~ it's like having my own devoted Gokudera~ so cute

**LunaticSheep:** Ha-ha, Santa. I hope the New year is going splendidly for you M'dear, and Silver humbly thanks you for forgiving her insolence : D (and asks that you continue to do so~). You don't need permission to say, "oh poo", go ahead and say it whenever you like~.

**Ecris-vains en formation:** I was going to reply via pm, but for some reason it won't allow me to use the link to do so, so I will reply to your review right in this space right here: Thank you very much for the love and I'm glad that you are enjoying the story so far :D. ~ Concerning Lambo, he will be considered part of the Vongola because he genuinely wants to follow Tsuna (Thus the Boss of the Bovino Famiglia will still cry tears of joy). And I plan on keeping the first generation Guardians the same and that includes Lampo but there will be some points that I will make regarding that but...yeah, you will have to wait and see~

I'm curious...how many of you are imagining yourselves in Ashlynn's place as if it were you who was sent to KHR? ...Are you having fun?

* * *

><p><strong>There's nobody here,<strong>**there's nobody near**

**I try not to care, dead eyes always stare**

**Let these matters be, don't trust what you see**

**Take hold of your time, step into the line**

**- To Rid the Disease, Opeth**

**We are builders of our own character. We have the different positions, spheres, capacities, privileges, different work to do in the world, different temporal fabrics to raise but we are all alike in this, - all are the architects of fate.**

**-John Fotherfill Waterhouse Ware**

* * *

><p>"There had better be a pretty damn good reason why the two of you are trying to break into my apartment from the balcony." Ashlynn grumbled loud enough for the two to hear her perfectly. Chrome came over just moments after Dolly left to get Birdy ready to go to bed and she left the girl alone for a few minutes to go check the mail. She would have gone straight up to her front door if not for the fact she had seen something green, white, and yellow blur out of the corner of her eye. And here she was standing a little behind Chikusa who was watching Ken attempting to subtly break through her sliding glass door.<p>

"Che!" Ken dropped the small strip of metal he had been using for his attempt at lock picking. "The front door has a code that we don't know, Byon."

"Of course you don't know it since I never told it to you in the first place." She glowered. "And you thought it'd be a great idea to break in instead of waiting a few minutes for me to walk back to the door from the mailbox? Or better yet try actually knocking on the front door? There is someone in there."

Chikusa pushed up his glasses. "It was his idea."

"Shut up Kakipii! I didn't hear you give any other good ideas!"

"She just gave you two of them, Ken." Chikusa said monotonously.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "What do you guys want?"

"The girl left this morning and her scent ends here! She had said that Mukuro comes here so I want to see him!" Ken crossed his arms and glared.

"Uh-huh..."

"...Well? Aren't you going to let us in?" The blonde asked scathingly.

Ashlynn shrugged walking around the building and up the stairs with the two Kokuyo students following after. She moved in close to block their view of the lock and pressed in the numbers to unlock it. She entered first and held the door for Chikusa who stepped in then slammed the door shut before Ken could even put a foot through the threshold.

"What the Hell!" Came the outraged cry outside.

Ashlynn slipped off her shoes. "You can stay outside since you were the one actively breaking in. I'll open a window a crack so you can hear what's going on."

"You bitch! Let me in! I want to see Mukuro-sama!"

"Then you should have thought better than to try to break in." Ashlynn called. She ignored the scratching on her door and showed Chikusa the way into her kitchen where Chrome was sitting at the island table with cup of juice in her hands. Ashlynn asked if he would like anything but he shook his head to decline.

"Chikusa." Chrome greeted.

The boy nodded to her then again more reverently as Mukuro switched places with her. "Mukuro-sama."

"Buonasera, Chikusa." He greeted.

"Good evening Mukuro-sama!" Ken yelled through the crack of the kitchen window his expression switching between awe and undying respect for Mukuro and glaring contempt for Ashlynn who started cleaning up the counter tops.

"Kufufu, so energetic today. Thank you Principessa but I believe we shall be going." Mukuro smiled politely and reached over to brush his fingers along the back of her neck and laughed when she slapped her hand over the place he had touched.

"Yeah, yeah. Will you be making more mischief for Hibari-san?" She asked dismissively.

Mukuro blinked. "Oya? You could tell that I'd been up to something?"

"...Are you really going to tell me you weren't up to something?" She raised an eyebrow leaning against the counter.

"Kufufufu." He laughed accepting the statement but did not comment further on that trail of conversation. "I shall see you at Namimori, Principessa."

Ashlynn scoffed but there was a grin on her face. "You make it sound like you'll be taking me on a date, Mukuro."

"Would you like for me to leave and come back to pick you up? Bring you flowers?"

"Nah," She shook her head and smirked out the window at Ken's dropped jaw. "I'll meet you there for the group date with the Varia. And no, no flowers this time; wouldn't want everyone upset because you showed them up. But just so you know, if the matter ever comes up again, I particularly like sunflowers."

"Per omaggio, devozione, e longevità. Heh, fino a quando le stelle brillano più luminose, Principessa." Mukuro held his hand up in farewell as he walked away for the front door with Chikusa in tow.

"What? Hey Mukuro! I don't know Italian! All I got from that is 'Princess'! And 'when'...I think." Ashlynn blinked following after them. 'I really need to learn Italian...it sounds lovely...'

Mukuro smirked shutting the door. "Later."

"Oi." Ashlynn shook her head then smiled as Ken whined pitifully that 'Mukuro-sama' disappeared again and grumbled for Chrome to keep up while they went for a stop for food or they'd leave her behind.

"So that was Mukuro and Chrome."

Ashlynn hummed. "Yeah, what do you think Fon?"

"He knew I was here." The Arcobaleno revealed stepping beside her. "I find it interesting how civil he was being. Had you not explained to me the circumstances before they arrived I would have been much more suspicious of his actions. That boy is still to be watched however."

"Did you understand what he said?"

"He said 'For homage, devotion, and longevity', which I believe was referring to the meaning of the Sunflower. Then, 'Until the stars are shining more brightly, Princess'... He seems to call you that often, Miss Ashlynn. I counted six times between both Mukuro and Chrome since they came here."

"Mukuro said that my initial reactions to it were amusing. I think that it was only once, maybe twice, that he's actually used my given name instead of that nickname." Ashlynn told him.

Fon made a low humming noise in his throat. "It was a good thing Miss Dolly had left when she did."

"Yeah," Ashlynn agreed moving first into the kitchen to shut and lock the window then into the living room and flopped onto the couch. "Dolly knows what went on in Kokuyo so it would be hard to expect her to be in the same room, be nice, and try not to be vindictive over her child's welfare and treatment. And Birdy may be fine now but I would rather wait a lot longer before knowingly have them in the same room for any reason."

"A wise decision."

She nodded. "But eventually I know she's going to have to meet him if she is actually serious in being a part of Tsuna's family. Has she told you about winning a contest to be the right hand man for Tsuna?"

"She did. It was an amusing tale."

"According to the future I-pin, by use of the Ten Year Bazooka, future Birdy is taking it very seriously by studying to be a lawyer for the family."

"An impressive goal to have. And I-pin?" He asked.

"Working to be a teacher. I believe she'd be wonderful as one. Hm?" Ashlynn looked up as the door opened but no one came in. She tensed in preparation but relaxed when Dolly's voice carried through.

"Niamh! Fon! Are you ready to go?"

"Coming Dolly." Ashlynn hollered back standing and following Fon back to the front door where they met Dolly, locked the door, and started for Namimori Junior, Fon riding atop Dolly's shoulder.

The woman glanced at her somewhat ward. "There will be no kissing boys."

"W-What?" Ashlynn choked.

"That blonde man, Dino, kissed you last night. Then there was that other boy...the one that had his hair covering most of his face...talked like a samurai."

Ashlynn didn't bother looking at her. "Aa, you mean Basil."

"Him. He calls you a lady."

"Basil speaks archaically; it's an interesting quirk I guess. And that kiss...well Dino's been doing that since the day he's met me. Apparently it's meant as a greeting or a thank you. He's from Italy, Dolly. And I have called him on it by the way."

"Hmph. Greeting or not, Niamh, no kissing."

"Dolly, you're French; haven't you ever greeted someone like that?" She asked.

"Of course I have."

"Then why-?"

"They were family."

"W-well, I guess Dino could technically be considered Family since the Cavallone and Vongola are allied together..."Ashlynn trailed off flustered.' Dammit! I always pushed away the notion of a pairing and now you're making me consider it! No! Go back into denial Ashlynn! It's safer there! Don't think about it anymore! Remember that staying alive right now until the next few years is at the top of the to-do list!'

Dolly gave her a questioning look. "Doesn't matter. And there's also that Yamamoto boy petting your hair. Are you planning on creating a harem?"

"No, I am not! And I have no idea why he does that. And, and I'm not seeing the big problem here," Ashlynn kept her eyes trained on the road in front of her. "My relationship with those guys is not in any way intimate-"

"Yet that Dino kisses you, that Basil boy calls on you as if you were a high born Lady and that Yamamoto pets you like you're an animal."

Ashlynn hung her head. "...You're making this hard on purpose aren't you?"

"I am." Came the blunt answer causing a chuckle to escape from the Storm Arcobaleno.

"Oh Brighid..."

"And what's this I hear from Fukano-san about you and Hibari Kyouya? She tells me that he visits you during work and that you've been kissing him, and not on the cheek."

Ashlynn clapped her hands over her ears and walked ahead of them. "Nothing! Keiko is totally blowing things out of proportion and there was only that one time! There was mistletoe and he was about to destroy the shop because he had been looking for me, there was a big crowd and Keiko wasn't helping in any way by goading him and then for the next few days she cooed and asked if I wanted to take time off to go on a date!"

"So you kissed him to tame the ferocious beast?" Dolly called. "And you do know I'll be having a little talk with this Hibari Kyouya. Dino too by the looks of things-"

"Shut up. And no talking to anyone about this!" She hissed. "You'll get me 'bitten to death'!"

"Now, now, that's enough. Miss Ashlynn, she is only teasing." Fon smiled then coyly informed Dolly. "There is another boy who you may see tonight who calls her 'Princess' in Italian."

"Oh really?"

"Fon, not you too. Please stop having fun at my expense!" She whined. "Okay? Really, no more guys. It's like you're trying to distra-..." Ashlynn stopped in her tracks, blinked then stared blankly at the two as they caught up to her and slowly passed her by. She shook her following and matching their pace. "Not funny."

"It worked." Dolly shrugged not at all moved by the pout and withered glare from the younger girl.

Ashlynn sighed. "It's not that I'm really worried about tonight's battle..."

Dolly patted her shoulder. "You're too serious. While in these circumstances it's a good thing but I don't want you wearing yourself out by stressing out. Niamh."

"Yes?"

"Smile."

"You're impossible." Ashlynn told the woman but found a smile tugging at her mouth.

"And you're a smartass." Dolly countered. "And I was serious about having a talk with whatever shameless little bastard thinks he has a chance with you. You may not be my daughter by blood but you are still mine...And what is that, 'Bitten to Death'?"

Ashlynn felt herself go warm by Dolly's claim on her as a daughter. "He says that to everyone before he kicks their ass for crowding or for whatever reason he fancies. You could say it's his calling card. A catchphrase or battle cry if you will."

"Does he understand what he is possibly implying?"

"And we have arrived." Fon cut in before Ashlynn could form a reply, motioning to the gates in front of them.

Dolly nodded. "Where on campus is it being held? The courtyard, the roof, the main building, and the B building have already been used so that leaves..."

"Tonight's battle shall take place in the Gymnasium. Nearly all of the Guardians have gathered for the scramble." Came the Cervello stepping around the gate to greet them. "Please make your way to the designated building."

"Alright, thanks." Ashlynn nodded as they walked for the predetermined arena. 'Kind of creepy how they can appear out of nowhere. Cool, but kind of creepy.'

Seeing Tsuna laying there asleep on the gym's floor made the childish side of her to want to find a marker and color on his face. 'But that would be a bad idea of course.' Ashlynn mused walking with Dolly and Fon to one side of the court where Tsuna was lying knocked out while Reborn, Colonello, Basil and Ryohei sat at the front of the bleachers. 'Sure Reborn would probably let me get away with it or even draw himself if this was any other time but then Gokudera would predictably go apeshit about the disrespect and...Yeah, best not to make a big scene...'

"Ciaossu, Ashlynn, Dolly, Fon." Reborn nodded.

Colonello scoffed but nodded to them in turn. "Heh, so you're here too, Fon?"

"Good to see you again Colonello." Fon nodded. "I came because Reborn mentioned a 'tacky little chibi'. This is Miss Dolly, by the way, if the two of you have not met yet."

"Well, it's him over there. The one with the stupid little frog on his head is the one fighting tonight, kora. I'm here just to check if he's actually an Arcobaleno...if we don't make sure of that, there will be trouble" Colonello jerked his head over to the Varia then back to stare up at Dolly who had her shotgun strapped to her back in the same position that he had is artillery rifle. "Nice gun."

"Likewise."

'Why do I get the feeling that you're calling him 'Little Man' in your mind, Dolly?' Ashlynn shook her head amused.

"Hmph." Mammon snorted. "The number of gaping idiots has increased. This battle might make the look on your faces look even more foolish by the end."

"Chibi..." Ashlynn murmured purposefully aloud.

Reborn frowned at Ashlynn's thoughtful look as she glanced at Mammon and then back at them. "What is it Ashlynn?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing."

"You're thinking again." He pointed out.

"It seems that when it comes to you magical babies, I am one of the few capable of thinking of your circumstances. And just because I am one of those few that doesn't mean I have to give my opinion whenever something seems to fit. As it is, I obviously still think you are magical superheroes." She snorted. 'Granted I know what's supposed to happen and we're kind of fighting for our lives right now...but really, everyone should have thought more about the existence of the Arcobaleno before the Wizard man throws that contest to free one of them...'

"Miss Ashlynn?" Fon questioned.

Colonello smirked. "This one is attempting to unravel our, what was that, Ashlynn? 'Our Superhero Magicalness'?"

"Yep. Superhero Magicalness." She nodded sitting down between Ryohei and Dolly. "Hey Ryohei, Basil."

"Good evening M'Lady."

"Hello Senpai! Do you know when our mist guy will be here?"

"Nope. But it looks like Gokudera and Yamamoto are here." She nodded to the two in the doorway of the gym.

"Why is the Juudaime on the floor?" Gokudera demanded immediately kneeling at the boys' side.

Yamamoto looked around with his uncovered eye. "Looks like everyone is here except our mist person."

"You lot lack faith." Reborn chided. "...Aa, looks like Tsuna's finally waking up."

The boy opened up his eyes blearily and covered his face with his arm until his eyes adjusted to the bright light shining above him. "Re-Reborn...? Where...oh the ring battle! Hiiiiiie! It's in the gymnasium!"

"That's right. Basil gave you a piggy back ride here." the hitman pointed to the boy who smiled in greeting.

"Juudaime! How are you feeling?"

"Eh?" Tsuna jumped as Gokudera brought his attention to him and offered his hand to pull him to his feet.

"Everyone...is here...? Yamamoto... your eye..." Tsuna paused looking at the baseball player. He didn't look too worse for wear but there were bandages on his hands along with a few on his face with medical gauze covering his eye.

Yamamoto smiled. "It's alright Tsuna. Romario -Ossan said not to worry."

"Thank goodness." Tsuna breathed a sigh in relief.

"Juudaime...that mist guy still isn't here. and the baseball idiot didn't see anyone on the way over..." Gokudera ground out. "This guy better not ruin this by not showing up causing us to forfeit the ring to those bastards! They are already here, including that Xanxus guy."

Tsuna looked up over to the other end of the building at the gathered group then to the Varia mist guardian waiting patiently in the middle of the court with the Cervello. "I still don't even know who it is! Reborn what are we going to do if they don't show?"

"Well if they don't show then you'll have no choice but to hand over the Mist ring to the Varia. But that will not be necessary." The hitman declared as the doors to the gym opened again and two figures in green Kokuyo uniforms walked in.

Tsuna gasped. "N-no way!"

"It's them!" Yamamoto frowned.

Gokudera immediately held out a few sticks of dynamite in warning. "You assholes."

"Calm down all of you." Reborn ordered. "They've brought the Mist Guardian."

"What? Y-You mean that the Guardian of the mist is-! Rokudo Mukuro!" Tsuna gaped in horror.

"Lo nego." Another person walked in behind the two males then between them to stop in front of them. "Io sono chiamato Chrome." The purple haired girl held a three pronged trident lovingly. "Dokuro Chrome."

"I-it's not Mukuro then...?" Tsuna frowned. "But..."

"That is an Extremely weird name." Ryohei muttered.

Gokudera snarled. "I won't be fooled. She's obviously been possessed by him! He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants! That's the kind of person he is! Juudaime! Don't trust her!"

"You do not believe me." The girl said softly tugging softly on the chain around her neck that held the half of the Mist ring.

"Of course not! Just look at that weapon! It's the very same one that Mukuro uses! And I bet that that eye patch is hiding that evil red eye!" The smoker accused.

"No. It's...she's not Mukuro." Tsuna spoke up.

Gokudera paused. "Are...are you sure?"

"Tsuna's right." Ashlynn stood up between Gokudera and Chrome. "She's not him so stop making a scene."

"But-!"

Chrome stepped forward clutching the familiar trident to her chest. She looked to Tsuna first. "You defended me...thank you, Boss."

Chrome kissed Tsuna's cheek and did the same to Ashlynn before she stepped back a few paces in respect. Ashlynn smiled at the girl then quickly frowned at Gokudera who was seething and was being held back by Yamamoto.

Gokudera struggled against the taller boy and snapped at Chrome. "What the hell was that?"

"Whaaa?" Tsuna stood shell shocked.

She looked down at her feet and gripped onto the trident harder to her torso. "…A greeting and thank you."

"Don't worry about it. He's just jealous that you didn't kiss him too." Ashlynn placed herself next to the timid girl.

Chrome looked up at her confused. "Eh? Should I?"

"Fuck that! Ashlynn, knock it off!" Gokudera snapped. Chrome flinched and looked down again.

"Come on Gokudera, I was only teasing so there was no reason to snap like that." She continued with a warning tone. "Stand up tall and give a good image for our Boss while in front of our opponents. She's here and that's what matters now."

"...Aa, you're right!" Gokudera lowered his head, staring at Tsuna. "Juudaime I apologize for my brash behavior."

"I-it's alright, Gokudera-kun..."

"If you are ready now?" The Cervello called.

"Ushishishi. And here I thought that they were going to reveal a wizard but it's just a girl." Bel laughed.

"How lovely." Levi mumbled.

"Hmmm. Fantasma is getting excited." Mammon observed the little frog in his possession. "Looks like the enemy's Guardian is indeed a very unusual person. Selling this girl off to a circus could prove to be profitable."

"What do we do?" Ryohei asked.

Gokudera glared. "I say we don't let her join us. We don't even know where the Hell she came from."

"Naa? You think I'm going to let that slip by, Byon?" Ken glowered back.

"You want to go? Come on then, bring it on." Gokudera challenged.

"Ken, Chikusa, please calm down. This is not your decision anyway. Boss, am I not worthy to fight as your Guardian? I wish to fight as your Mist but… But if Boss won't allow for it then I will abide by that decision." Chrome said to Tsuna.

The boy gulped. "W-What? You're asking me to decide like that?"

"Besides Chrome, there is no one else to fit the role of the Mist." Reborn announced hopping up to Yamamoto's shoulder.

"Then...then we'll leave it to you." Tsuna nodded.

Chrome offered a very small smile. "Thank you, Boss."

"Oh! Where is Dino-san? Is he not coming?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn shook his head. "No. Some urgent business came up last night so he had to go and meet with an old friend."

"Yosh! Then let's do the huddle!" Ryohei cheered.

Yamamoto laughed. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

"That's alright." Chrome interjected turning away and starting towards the middle of the court. "I don't need it."

"Huh, what's her problem?" Ryohei slumped down onto the bleachers next to Colonello.

The Cervello nodded. "This time the battlefield will be the entirety of the gymnasium. The objects within this building are yours to do with as you wish. Furthermore, this field has not been outfitted with any special installations-"

'Like they would need them.' Ashlynn thought. 'They could make those themselves. The main weapon here is the use of one's imagination.'

"-There was no need for such complexity for the battle for the Mist Ring."

"There's really nothing being added?" Tsuna asked.

"Like they said, there is no need." Reborn answered. "The specialty of the Guardian of the Mist means that they do not require anything special...'Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy. Rendering the Family's true form intangible with visions of deceit."

The second Cervello took over. "Though there are not any special installations to test the Guardians, like with the Storm battle there are infrared laser surrounding the court to keep the spectators from interfering with the match."

"The use of lasers again?" Basil looked down at the flooring searching for the barrier.

"Dokuro Chrome versus Mammon for the Ring of Mist. Begin the battle!" The Cervello called.

Chrome started first by twirling the trident above her head then hitting the wooden floor with the butt of the weapon with a loud clack as the floor suddenly began to crumble away from the trident, shooting the piece beneath Chrome higher up while the remaining parts of the flooring including where the spectators stood began to fall.

"W-what!" Levi gasped vaulting himself onto a more stable area.

Tsuna shrieked. "The floor! UwaaAAAAAAHHHH! We're going to fall!"

"Stupid Tsuna." Chided Reborn. "You know this technique. You don't need to be shocked out of it do you?"

Mammon's nostrils flared not impressed as he quickly rebounded off the large broken shards of the wooden floor towards Chrome's tower piece. "So, like me, you are an illusion user. But this here is merely child's play. Certainly nothing worth making money off of." The Varia infant appeared in front of the girl, tentacles spilling out from the open space of his hood, wrapping over her head and shoulders.

The girl yelped loosening her grip on her weapon as she clawed with one hand at the appendages away from her and thus letting go of her technique and the room returned back to normal.

"Whoa." Yamamoto knelt with one knee on the floor. "We're back..."

"He's got her." Dolly frowned holding Fon in her lap.

"What? No!" Tsuna looked back to the middle of the court and gasped seeing Chrome being held up into the air by her throat, Mammon below her controlling the tentacles that were squeezing the breath out of her body.

"Hmph, much too weak. Wouldn't even make a good sideshow." The infant sighed at the loss of potential money.

A boot clicked against the floor behind him. "Just who are you talking to?"

'Should have just attacked while he was unaware, Chrome.' Ashlynn thought watching as the girl revealed herself behind her opponent as the 'Chrome' trapped by Mammon turned into a cage full of basketballs.

Gokudera rubbed at his eyes. "When did she get away from that?"

"It turned into a bunch of basketballs!" Ryohei yelled.

"It was an illusion." Reborn said between Tsuna and Gokudera. "Both creating illusions without yielding a step, deceiving the other without stopping for breath. You won't see something like this very often, Tsuna."

"W-when you say illusions...it's true that before...M-Mukuro's state of Hell!" Tsuna let out a shaky breath.

Gokudera whipped his head towards the other boy. "You mean that she's really him? What are that guy's intentions here?"

"I already told you." Ashlynn cut in. "Chrome is Chrome."

"Oh good." Mammon stated, ignoring the commentary from Tsuna's side of the court. "Looks like you'll be more or less a worthy opponent. Well, then I'll use that to my heart's content...even if those three stupid chibi's are gaping without paying a fee." He released the cage of sport's equipment as he also dropped a long chain from beneath his uniform. "Let's go Fantasma."

Chrome's visible eye widened as the black frog perched on her opponents head rose up shedding the black skin for the white scales hidden beneath as its body elongated into the body of a snake, curling around in a circle above the chibi's head to bite its own tail. Mammon was lifted into the air and a glowing indigo pacifier appeared from the depths of his jacket showing off his status as one of the Arcobaleno.

"That curled up frog and that pacifier." Colonello scowled. "Looks like he was still alive after all, kora."

"My. It's been quite a while." Fon held the red glowing bauble.

Reborn looked down at his own glowing yellow pacifier. 'So I was right then. His true identity is the Mist Arcobaleno: Viper. An illusionist and possesses a psychic ability.

"An Arcobaleno?" Basil's brows furrowed.

"Psychic abilities...? You meant that sort of occult?" Gokudera asked frowning.

"That's right." Colonello nodded. "I heard that he went missing in action...I actually thought that he had died. But apparently not. Hey, why didn't the pacifiers start glowing until now, kora?"

Reborn frowned. "...I'm not sure, but it seems like it has something to do with that chain-like implement that he took off. Looks like that chain is able to seal the Pacifier's power."

"Foolish babies like you wouldn't be able to understand. It was a byproduct of years of research. Unlike you, I am never negligent," Mammon called. "In my efforts to remove the curse."

"Curse?" Tsuna asked.

The three gathered Arcobaleno didn't answer but Colonello gave Reborn a wary glance. "This isn't looking too good for our team, kora. The average illusionist doesn't stand chance against that tacky chibi."

Reborn returned his attention to the battle. "Don't be so quick to judge, Colonello. Dokuro is no ordinary illusionist."

Chrome nodded preparing herself. "It does not matter who you are. I will win here." The girl ran forward swinging the spokes of the trident at her enemy, grunting when the hit missed but dove out of the way when Mammon sent the tentacle appendages her way again. That attempted was stopped as the newly revealed Arcobaleno was caught within the coils of a giant red snake.

"This snake...it's not an illusion?" Her opponent hummed.

"Her techniques are successful!" Basil cheered.

Tsuna continued to frown. "That...it was like when Mukuro used the animal state..."

"She's been possessed by that sneaky bastard! I knew it!" Gokudera growled.

'But...' Tsuna thought. 'It's true that at some points it's like Mukuro is here in front of us...but...Arghh, I don't understand...! Why is it? From the moment she came here...the sense of that girl's will has never faded...'

Chrome smacked the bottom of her weapon on the ground just as Mammon tore through the snake's grasp but this time instead of the floor breaking in on itself, pillars of fire broke through the flooring and up to the ceiling, causing Ryohei and Yamamoto to step back out of the way in surprise on their side and Levi diving away on his. Mammon was caught beneath a pillar as it erupted from the wood.

"Hmm, not bad at all, I'll give you that, Girl." Mammon flew out of the hellfire unharmed. "If I had for even the briefest moment believed in the reality of those fire columns I would have been roasted alive. Therefore... your weakness is also illusions." He declared as suddenly the heat from Chrome's fire disappeared as ice froze the columns into solid towers.

"It's freezing!" Ryohei gasped.

Dolly exhaled, her breath coming out in puffs. "Since they are illusions I would have guessed that nothing happening in front of me is real...but that is not the case is it?"

"It is not. Rather, the line between illusion and reality is forever taken advantage of by those who use them." Fon explained for the woman.

"...I accidentally let myself get hit by that one, Kora." Colonello confessed sourly.

Reborn nodded. "I did too. As one would expect from Viper."

"The art of illusion," Mammon paused a moment floating in between the now frozen columns, his reflection shining through the shards. "Is used to seize control of a person's perception- that is to say, it infiltrates the part of the brain that controls your senses... The more potent the illusionists power the more complete the infiltration; the success rate of the attacking illusionist's attacks are also heightened and it keeps its hold of its reality much longer. However if an illusion is countered by another illusion..." His mouth curved into a smirk as Chrome gasped finding her legs being cemented in place by ice. "It means that control of their own perception will be completely snatched away and controlled by your enemy."

"Oh no!" Yamamoto bit his lip.

Ken and Chikusa shifted.

Mammon floated closer to the girl but far enough away to keep out of range from any swipes from the trident. "What do think? Of the abominable power of an Arcobaleno? Hmph, now then, how about I reveal your true identity?" He tilted his head slightly as Chrome tried to escape from the frozen prison. "Oh? No matter what you are thinking of doing it will not have any effect. It's too late for any last ideas. Because you are already a denizen of my world of illusion. That weapon looks important to you."

Chrome gasped slicing her trident beneath her feet and falling to the floor her legs still imprisoned. She cradled the weapon trying to free her limbs. "No! Don't! DON'T!"

It was too late. Ashlynn glowered as the trident in Chrome's hands shattered into pieces and not a few seconds afterwards the girl hacked up blood falling prone onto the floor.

"W-What? What was that?" Tsuna gulped. "What did he do? All I saw was the trident..."

"Look! Her stomach!" Basil pointed.

Gokudera cringed. "It's caved in...Is...Is this another illusion...?"

"Mm." The floating Arcobaleno drew in a tad closer releasing his control over the ice making it disappear and the building to return once again to normal. "This is real...what is with this girl...?"

"Mu...sama..." Chrome choked out feebly.

"It's hard to believe, but...it seems that this girl's life was prolonged only by the use of illusory organs."

"Meaning...she doesn't have what was necessary to live..." Dolly's face turned grim.

"So when she lost control of her illusion, her abdomen collapsed." Reborn finished the thought.

'...You did very well...My little Chrome...'

Tsuna gasped as a foreboding shiver went down the expanse of his spine.

'..You rest for a while, my dear.'

"...He's coming..." Tsuna grabbed the sides of his head.

"Tsuna?' Yamamoto questioned placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Bel laughed. "What's this, victory already? The cat's out of the bag? We didn't even get to see much of Mammon's power."

"With this we are tied." Levi smirked. "...hm?"

"She's being covered in fog!" Ryohei pointed out as Chrome's body began to disappear from view.

"Ah this? Marshaling the last of one's strength to conceal their own unsightly corpse from view. It is rather common behavior from female illusionists."

"Juudaime? What's wrong?" Gokudera stood on the boy's other side. Ashlynn eyed the place where Chrome was vanishing.

"Mukuro!" Tsuna cried. "Rokudo Mukuro is here!"

"Kufufufu." The body in the middle of the court dissolved and a cloud of smoke kept it from view as its shape changing to one much more masculine.

"Mu? A man's voice." The Mist Arcobaleno retreated a few paces back and floated down to step on the ground all the while observing the scene before him.

Ashlynn smirked.

Gokudera hissed in her direction. "What the Hell Ashlynn! You said she wasn't him!"

"And she's not." She nodded to the two fighters. "Rokudo Mukuro and Dokuro Chrome are two separate entities. You were right about the possession though."

The smoke dissipated showing Mukuro kneeling on the floor his trident gripped tightly in his hands. He tapped the end on the floor sending a tremor to flow through beneath the ground and explode beneath the Varia member, knocking him off of his feet. "Kufufu, showing off quite a bit, aren't you, Arcobaleno?"

Ryohei paused. "Uhn, who is that?"

"Aa, you were in the hospital while we were in Kokuyo." Reborn murmured then answered. "He is Rokudo Mukuro. A mist user."

Mukuro smiled pleasantly glancing directly in Tsuna's direction. "It's been a while...I've come back from the other side of the cycle."

"So this...is the boy who was responsible for my daughter's kidnapping?" Dolly grumbled.

"Why is he here?" Gokudera scowled

Ashlynn sighed. "Isn't it obvious? He and Chrome are fighting as Tsuna's Mist Guardian."

Tsuna looked bewildered at the notion Chrome he was okay with but... "Can they really be the Guardian at the same time? I-I mean, we're already fighting to get both halves of the rings."

"Who knows? I think they can pull it off." Ashlynn shrugged looking over by the doors finding a very happy Ken and, well it was hard to tell with Chikusa...

"Muu, Rokudo Mukuro...I was wondering where I had heard that name before." Mammon stood back on his feet. "About a month ago. Someone attempted to escape from the Vindice Prison. The person's name was Rokudo Mukuro."

"That Vindice...that place is known as an impregnable fortress." Levi said, his eyes widening a margin in surprise.

"He- he broke out again!" Tsuna yelled.

"But it should have been over when the escape attempt failed. I heard he was thrown back into a cage even more difficult to escape from." Mammon relayed.

Mukuro nodded. "The information net of the Vongola's top assassin group...isn't very well informed. I am here now am I not?"

Xanxus narrowed his eyes.

Tsuna rubbed his arms to rid himself of the goose bumps that traveled against his flesh then screamed as something jumped on his head. "Hiiiiiie!"

"Gyahahaha!" The thing cried out triumphantly. "The Great and Brave Lambo-san followed Tsuna who snuck out of the house! Tsuna is gonna get in big trouble when Maman finds out that Tsuna left the house after dark!"

"Hiiiiiie! Lambo! What are you doing here?" Tsuna cried reaching for the five year old. 'Oh no~ this is bad! Very very bad! A-and, and, you'll get in trouble too because you followed us!'

"Why is that stupid cow here? Oi, dumbass! Get out of here if you know what's good for you!" Gokudera snarled.

Lambo pulled down an eyelid and stuck his tongue out tauntingly.

"This isn't a game you brat!" Gokudera roared snatching the child in before he could scamper away. "Leave!"

Lambo blew a raspberry into his face.

"Aaaargh! You little shit!" Gokudera yelled tossing him into the stands between Tsuna and a glowering Ashlynn.

"Hold...it...in...A-Aneue! Stupidera's being m-ean!" Lambo cried pulling out the purple bazooka.

"Hiiiiiie! Lambo no!" Tsuna cried pulling the bazooka away from the boy's face but Lambo held on to the weapon with his small fingers twitching towards the trigger.

Ashlynn gasped as Mukuro stepped into the line of fire. 'If he fires it now it'll interfere with the match!' She reached her arm out just as Lambo screeched again and pulled the trigger resulting in the ever familiar smoke.

"Cough Cough!" Tsuna waved away the smoke from his face.

A voice sighed. "Again so soon? I was here not even three days ago..."

Tsuna looked up startled as the smoke cleared away and found that Ashlynn had been switched for her future self. He looked to where the bazooka might have gone and sighed in relief as Mukuro looked over curiously, along with the other Varia.

"The Ten year Bazooka? This is the first time I've seen it used in person." Mammon commented lightly.

"S-Sorry Ashlynn." Tsuna apologized but stopped in his tracks when he saw blood splattered over her.

The woman shook her head, her long hair bound into a tight braided crown with her bangs falling into her face. "It's alright Tsuna. At least I'm dressed this time." She motioned to her attire consisting of black dress pants, a short sleeved white buttoned up shirt and black vest where a deep green tie was seen just above it before it disappeared under the vest. With a fluid motion she retracted the red splattered weapons, which had two more elaborate circles of blade than the present Ashlynn's, back into its bracelet form that had a few beads darker than the original.

"Will it become a problem for your present self because of the switch?" Reborn asked handing her a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his coat that she looked at questioningly before realizing what Tsuna was looking at, and accepted the piece of cloth to clean her face and hands though she did nothing about the blood splattered on the bottom of her pants and her black boots.

"No, the job was finished and my partner for the operation will probably find her before I go back. As long as she...I... as long as I don't freak out over what I see… should be fine..." She said but didn't look too hopeful.

"Is it that bad?" Fon queried.

The older Ashlynn shrugged. "For me? Not a big problem. My past self however..." She dropped her voice for the Arcobaleno next to her. "It may be a good idea to have someone with myself tonight." She looked at Reborn apologetically when she realized that the cloth he let her used had turned from its soft yellow to pink and red.

"It's alright. You may keep it." He told her.

Ashlynn nodded. "Aa. Grazie."

"Kufufu. My, Principessa, what a lovely Queen you've grown into. And what a wonderful image you portray all covered in blood."

Ashlynn turned her eyes to the young illusionist leaning against his trident and gave a small appraising smirk to the male. " Ever the charmer, Mukuro. And just what does that make you? The Magician? Have I appeared in time to be entertained?"

"Please continue the battle. Ashlynn Meagher of the future if you seek to interfere-" The Cervello called to her.

Ashlynn waved the woman off as she picked up the Ten year Bazooka, gently eased it back to its sub space in Lambo's hair before picking up the child and balancing him on her hip. "Yes, yes, disqualification, I remember. I won't interfere with the battle." She then directed a stern look to the child on her hip and told him in his first language. "E nemmeno si, piccolo. Queste battaglie sono molto importnant alla tua famiglia."

"Ushishishi. Una Principessa?" Bel grinned.

The Cervello nodded. "Please continue the battle!"

"Troublesome. Though it is about time to truly finish this off. You are merely an illusion created by the girl before her strength runs out." Mammon stated as a blizzard struck within the building.

"A blizzard!" Basil shouted over the winds.

"W-we're going to freeze to death!" Yamamoto cried.

Dolly grumbled as the older version of her somewhat ward linked their arms together and the cold seeped away from her body. She gave the woman a wary yet grateful glance but said nothing.

"Oh? You think me to be an illusion? I'm not so good-natured that I would allow myself to lose an illusion created by another illusionist" Mukuro smirked as ice formed and within seconds incased the entirety of his body in a solid block.

"Looks like you've been unmasked. Now to break you and we shall see the shattered remains of the girl." Mammon declared as he formed the mallet end of a hammer and flew for the block. "I will be taking your half of the ring."

Yamamoto gasped. "Not good!"

Tsuna's breath hitched as he closed his eyes. He wasn't comfortable with the fact that Mukuro was here let alone fighting as his Guardian. He peeked an eye when there weren't any sounds of the ice block that had Mukuro inside breaking and found Mammon being wrapped around in vines that were beginning to have a myriad of pink lotus blossoms flowering over the vines.

"Lotus flowers..." Colonello wrinkled his nose. "And for Viper to be so overwhelmed against another illusionist...Looks like there's a chance to win so long as Viper's really not playing around by giving Mukuro a false hope for winning..."

"Kufufufu. Just who here is 'Just an Illusion'?" Mukuro asked phasing right through the ice and with a languid move from the trident the blizzard dissipated.

"He's the real thing after all...but what happened to that girl?" Gokudera looked to Reborn.

The Arcobaleno acknowledged the question. "While originally separate entities as Ashlynn said that is no longer entirely the case. Because there is Chrome, Mukuro can exist before us. And because Mukuro exists, Chrome can live."

"..I don't get it." Tsuna sighed.

Reborn shrugged. "That's all I am going to say about it."

Mukuro blinked slowly, his red eye spinning through kanji. "Come now, Are you having difficulty there, Arcobaleno? If you keep taking your time I am going to wrap things up, you know. Must make this entertaining."

"Don't be so cocky!" Mammon split himself in half, escaping from the constricting vines then those two halves split into hundreds of Mammon's all charging for the male.

"Weak." Mukuro swung the trident slashing a number of the doppelgangers as his eye flared with his will.

Tsuna wrung his hands. "That's the state of Shura...hand to hand combat."

"Hand to hand combat?" Mammon repeated. "An illusionist that resorts to such notions is hearsay! I denounce you and your reincarnation rubbish!"

"Oya?"

"Humans will repeat the same life in infinite cycles! That is why I continue to hoard my money!" The chibi yelled soaring into the air changing the playing field once again by twisting the entirety of the building into an illusion, twisting the perception of gravity and making the wooden floor rise, fall, and crumble into the blackness of a void.

"Whoa!" Gokudera yelled.

Tsuna screeched trying to regain his ground. "Hiiiiiie! The floor boards! They're being moved again!"

Colonello's falcon Falco took to the air with Colonello in his grasp and Reborn hanging by a hang glider Leon. Dolly, Fon and Lambo still being in contact with the future Ashlynn found them anchored to the woman and despite the feeling of vertigo, they were fine.

"Kufufufu! A greedy Arcobaleno! How interesting, but when it comes to the matter of greed...well, I won't deign to lose either."" Mukuro smirked again as Hellfire once again made an appearance but unlike Chrome's attack, Mukuro's made a weave throughout the illusioned space smashing flames into the Arcobaleno.

"I-incredible!" Breathed Levi in awe kneeling next to a fallen Bel.

Ryohei grabbed his head with his good hand. "I'm...getting really dizzy..."

Gokudera and Yamamoto nodded. The smoker scowled. "Feels like I'm going to throw up..."

"The kiddies are starting to get corrupted by the illusions, kora." Colonello called to Reborn a few feet below him.

He nodded. "Not surprising as they were having their perceptions thrown off since the very beginning of this match. Ashlynn's taking care of Dolly, Fon, and the cow but not for much longer."

"Umuuu! Where, where did you attain this power from?" A burnt Mammon demanded his opponent who merely offered a taunting smile.

"Why, from the depths of Hell."

"Stop talking rubbish!" He roared spelling everything into another harsh winter wonderland.

"My...my head..." Tsuna whimpered. The future Ashlynn looked up sharply at the boy before switching in a soft poof a smoke and the present now bloodied and pale female standing in her place immediately began to feel a sharp dizziness from being thrust into vertigo. Dolly nostrils flared, her eyes worriedly taking in the girl's appearance and glazed eyes.

"B-Boss!" Gokudera cried trying to steady the boy and keep a vigilant eye on the illusionists in battle.

'What? What is this...?' Tsuna gasped as the scene changed before him to complete darkness. He turned around finding himself submerged in dark waters and before him was a figure strapped in leather restraints and clinking chains attached to the male's hands, feet, thighs, and neck. '...Mukuro...?' He gasped releasing air into the water as he fell hard to a now grassy ground.

'Mukuro-sama...our pursuers are gaining on us...we won't be able to escape for much longer...'

'That-!' Tsuna lifted his head to see Mukuro sending Ken and Chikusa ahead while he met the guards of Vindice head on to give the two the time to successfully escape before the scene changed again to a hospital hallway with Chrome in a white gown and covered in bandages and his father across from the girl.

'Kufufu.' Mukuro's voice filtered along with Chrome's. 'I must say I am curious to your reasoning. My powers are rather limited in my current state even when I possess this unique girl's body. I can only stay for a short period of time.'

'Even so, I want you to become Tsuna's Guardian of the Mist...'

'D-dad? You were the one to give him the half ring?' Tsuna wondered as the surroundings changed one last time. He saw a shorter version of himself with little mouse ears scurrying away from a long table covered with tea sets and pastries. A Kyoko with rabbit ears and a Haru with cat appendages sat on one end engrossed in their own conversation and on the other end was Ashlynn dressed as Alice and Mukuro as the Cheshire cat.

'Defeat means friendship apparently.' The girl said, the next words exchanged became static before he was able to hear what was being said. 'Because our group is the only one that is training with Tsuna and building trust with him. I just find really convenient that we apparently have an affinity with the correct rings. And this could probably be punishment for you trying to possess Tsuna in the first place. I think you were chosen because they thought of you at the last second and you also 'conveniently' had a strong affinity that was suited to the left over ring...'

'Kufufu, how cruel.'

'Well, having a strong affinity in the first places helped the decision didn't it? Besides, now that you can be considered part of the Vongola Famiglia we could probably bust you out of Vindice. What sort of Guardian protects the Boss while in an impenetrable prison?'

'I am here now aren't I?'

'Point.' Ashlynn conceded smoothing out the skirt of her dress. 'But then again this is a dream.'

'You will have to wait and see Ashlynn-kun. Kufufufu.'

Then the underwater tank full with the chains flashed before his eyes once more. 'I...I didn't know...I didn't know that was what you were enduring...' Tsuna blinked finding himself back where he started with Gokudera and Yamamoto at his side. He looked over to Mukuro, battling, twirling his trident in front of him to ward of the onslaught of the many Mammon's trying to push back his defense, for them. "Mukuro."

"L-Lambo-san doesn't feel so good." The child whimpered.

Ashlynn blinked moving him from her hip to hold him steadily in her arms; his face pressed into her neck, and began to sway in a slight rocking motion. Dolly frowned rubbing two fingers against her temple to fend against the growing migraine.

"That's enough!" The real Mammon passed through and swallowed the male into his hood; Fantasma still in a ring biting his own tail grew spikes inward along his sides and squeezed into the covered body.

"Mukuro-sama!" Ken cried stepping forward before Chikusa grabbed his shoulder.

"Kufufufu."

Mammon's body exploded, lotus flowers and vines erupted from the coated flesh; completely destroying it. "Descent into Hell and return again." Mukuro held up his hand showing off the two half pieces of the Mist ring. "I just have to rejoin both together, correct."

The Cervello nodded a little shakily. "Ye-yes. That is correct."

"No way...Mammon." Levi gaped.

Basil sighed in relief. "He won the battle!"

"No! I'm-I'm not finished yet!" Mammon announced his presence fading back into view crawling towards a blank faced Mukuro. "Haaaaa...Haaaaa. You truly think that this is the full extent of my power...I'll...show you, you cocky upstart...I will defe-!" He froze in place.

Mukuro sighed almost pityingly running a hand through his bangs. "You know very well, don't you...? When your own illusory techniques are countered by another illusionist..." Mukuro smiled facing the Arcobaleno as Fantasma lowered himself from above his master's head to constrict instead around his neck. "Kufufufu. You have completely lost control of your own perceptions."

"N-no! Fant-asma" Mammon gasped, his tiny hands grasping on his familiar's scales. "Stop! F-Fantasma! I-I order you to stop! Fantasma...! C-cease. At once!"

"What do you think, Arcobaleno? Is my power too much for you?" Mukuro asked forming a black hole beneath his faltering enemy. "Kufuhahahaha! The reason why you will lose...was because you had to face me. This is the end for you."

"No! Gyaaaaah!"

Tsuna shrieked covering his eyes from the blast of light and when he peeked them open again he sighed in relief when the building reverted back to its original state, Mukuro landing on one knee in the middle of the court with the joined Vongola ring in his hand and Mammon nowhere in sight.

Mukuro rose to his feet showing the two Cervello women the completed ring. "...Is this acceptable?"

The women glanced at each other before nodding. "Yes. The Mist ring now belongs to Dokuro Chrome. With that, the winner of the scramble battle is Dokuro Chrome."

"That Viper..." Colonello trailed off.

Bel giggled softly. "Ripped to shreds."

Tsuna frowned deeply. "Did...did you really have to go that far? There was no reason to actually-"

"Hmph." Mukuro scoffed turning his eyes to the boy. "Even now, you are showing empathy towards your enemies...just how naive are you going to get, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna flinched. Gokudera scowled. Ryohei, Yamamoto, and Basil blinked.

The illusionist shook his head. "There is no need to worry so...I should say. That baby managed to escape. From the very beginning he had every intention of reserving enough energy to escape...he is a shrewd one, that Arcobaleno."

Xanxus still in his chair merely opened his eyes as if waking from a nap. "...Gola Mosca. Once the contest battles are over, eliminate Mammon."

The hulking figure blew smoke from its mask in ascent.

"Kufufu. My, you really are the dark side of the mafia, aren't you, Xanxus?"

"..."

"Even I would feel awed at this terrifying scheme you've thought up."

Reborn stiffened landing back to the ground with Leon changing reverting back to his original shape on his master's hat.

Mukuro smiled benignly. "But I have no intention of poking my nose in your business. Because I am not such a nice human being. Just one thing, though...the other candidate for successor, though smaller, weaker, and more naive than yourself...still is not someone you should trifle with, for your own good."

'M-Mukuro...?' Tsuna opened his mouth then closed it. 'Was that...?'

"Kufufufu." Mukuro turned his back on the Varia Boss and made his way towards his 'Team'.

Ken cheered. "That was amazing, Mukuro-sama! You kicked ass!"

"You bastard!" Gokudera snarled pulling out sticks of dynamite much to the Kokuyo leader's amusement.

"Oi, Gokudera..." Yamamoto grabbed his shoulder.

"It's good to be so vigilant." Mukuro commented lightly holding the Mist ring in his palm. "But I have no intention of colluding with the mafia either. Let me make this clear, Sawada Tsunayoshi: I have only become you Guardian of the Mist for one reason and that is to assert myself in a better position to possess your body. And what a way to do so, don't you think?"

"What!" Gokudera moved himself in front of Tsuna.

"Mukuro..." The boy in question lowered his eyes. '...you're...that was a lie right there...'

"Thou wish to possess Lord Sawada's body?" Basil questioned looking to Reborn instead for an answer. The Arcobaleno said nothing but stared at the illusionist thoughtfully.

"Hmmm?" Mukuro tilted his head stepping towards Ashlynn who had yet to say anything, fully expecting the girl to call him out on his claim. Ignoring the hard stare from the woman besides her he reached a hand out to tug lightly on bloodied tresses of hair. "My Principessa, are you in shock? What was it that you saw in the future I wonder...? I must say I've become curious. Kufufufu."

She blinked at him flaring her nostrils as she exhaled yet said nothing. He turned to face Tsuna who moved out from behind Gokudera giving Ashlynn a worried glance.

"Still...Mukuro..." He trailed off for a moment. "...Thanks."

He nodded. "...A little...tired now...this girl..." Mukuro's eyes closed falling forward off-balance, letting go of his possession of Chrome, the girl falling for the ground but was caught by Ashlynn's arm. Dolly moved to take the girl but Ashlynn quickly shook her head holding out Lambo for her to take instead so she could move Chrome to rest on her back.

"He's turned back into a girl!" Ryohei yelled shocked by the sudden change.

Fon shifted from atop Dolly's shoulder. "He was reckless, that Mukuro."

"He expended a lot of power to transform himself into reality...he probably won't appear before us for a little while." Reborn hummed. "And don't worry, Tsuna." He said just as the boy had a sudden look of worry on his face.

"Chrome's illusory organs are back in place thanks to Mukuro."

Tsuna sighed. "She's...asleep?"

"Looks like it, kora." Colonello observed.

"She gets tired easily. So much for humans." Ken said a scowl on his face as he and Chikusa started making their way to the doors.

"W-What! You're just going to leave her here? Isn't she apart of your group?" Tsuna cried. 'A-And! You're a human too!'

Ken paused to turn and glare while Chikusa kept walking. "Che. We're not her babysitters. That chick has her so she can walk back when she wakes up. Besides, it's not like she's really Mukuro-sama." He scoffed at the group before jogging to catch up with the other boy and the two disappeared out the door

Tsuna gaped at their disregard as they left then furrowed his brows in thought. '...That's right...Mukuro is in that pitch black place in that cage...'

"Don't sympathize with him." Reborn warned. "Don't ever forget what Mukuro has done to you."

The Cervello stepped forward cutting off whatever Tsuna was about to say. "The results of the battles so far are this: Three wins to one in Sawada Tsunayoshi's favor. However to test the competency of the Guardian we shall still hold the battle for the Ring of Cloud."

"What?" Gokudera demanded. "Even though we've won the majority of the rings? And when you say 'testing the competency'...you mean to say that Ashlynn will definitely have to fight again?"

"As I said, this is to test the competency of the Cloud Guardian." The woman reiterated ignoring the question regarding the Lightning Guardians. "We shall continue on to the next battle tomorrow night." The woman stated. "There is also the battle for the Sky Ring which will determine the successor after that."

"Fnn. Oi Xanxus!" Reborn called. "Even if the chance of Hibari losing, the ring count still goes in our favor. Your subordinate will have to win for you to fight. What are you going to do?"

"That's right." Yamamoto murmured.

"If our Cloud loses then Sawada-Dono will have to do battle with Xanxus." Basil added.

"..."

Reborn continued. "When the time comes, you had better be prepared to admit defeat as promised. You will abdicate all rights to be the successor."

Xanxus' lip curled. "But of course. I have always respected the Vongola spirit and will honor the promise of a battle. If Mosca really loses the cloud battle, I will let you people have everything." Xanxus stood up from his chair and left the building with his three remaining Guardians following after him.

"..Just one more then..." Gokudera's body lost its tension.

Colonello crossed his arms. "You guys are too naive."

Reborn agreed. "For Xanxus to say something like that...He has every confidence that Mosca will beat Hibari." He let the thought set in before smacking the back of Tsuna's head. "Let's go Tsuna and take the stupid cow."

"Eh?" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. "What?"

"You take the child. He live with you doesn't he?" Dolly put the child in the boy's arms. "I'm taking Ashlynn and the girl home."

"U-un... Ashlynn?" Tsuna tried.

She blinked twice shifting Chrome on her back and moved to follow Dolly but paused just as she moved past Tsuna. "It's okay, Boss. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"M'Lady?" Basil worried his lip. Even Gokudera looked up as it was one of the very few times Ashlynn called Tsuna 'Boss'.

Colonello shook his head. "Let's go. Ryohei we have to get back before Kyoko wakes up and finds us gone again."

"Ahh! That's right! We can't let Kyoko worry!"

Ashlynn's eyes were dazed but she was still able to walk without any trouble but was eerily silent and somber on the way home as she carried Chrome on her back, declining when Dolly offered to carry the girl even though Ashlynn knew that she was getting the sleeping girl dirty from the blood that had seeped into her own clothing, still she shook her head and kept Chrome on her back as they made their way through the streets of Namimori. She needed some kind of contact with a living breathing human being since Tsuna had taken Lambo home with him and Fon was riding atop Dolly's shoulder.

'...In the future...Tsuna and all of the Arcobaleno save for Lal are dead...or they will be soon enough...'

For a split second Ashlynn had thought her present arm would be switched with her older self's limb before she was brought to the future with all her limbs fully intact without any switching of body parts with her older self. When the smoke that blocked her vision cleared she immediately wished that her arm had been switched.

Even though Fon and Keiko had helped get somewhat used to the idea that she would have to kill another person, whether for the sake of a mission or to preserve her own life from whoever tried to attempt to take her life. She had cut through number upon number of men and women (even if they were illusions), she had hunted the wildlife in that forest and she had gutted them with Fon's supervision...it hadn't prepared her enough...not even close enough to prepare her for what she saw when during that five minutes in the future.

There was so much blood.

It hadn't matter where she tried to look, there was blood, and it was too late to close her eyes to the sight of it because she would still be able to see it even if she could clench her eyes shut from the view.

Bodies were strewn around, 'in a warehouse' the back of her mind supplied, in different states of gore and showed the beginning of decay. At least thirty to forty men and women were dead all around her; some face down on the floor but there was a good many more that laid on their backs with their soulless eyes staring up into nothing. There were bones protruding from skin if they weren't obviously broken or dislocated, guts spilling from chest cavities, brains leaking from skulls, necks twisted unnaturally to the side, one or two no longer had a face, there were severed heads along with limbs that were scattered about the building. And the blood; it was literally everywhere: from being puddles in great quantities on the floor, to being splattered on the walls, trailers, boxes and even leading up staircases and the closest emergency ladder where, according to the motionless body at the foot of it, someone had tried to escape from the carnage.

She felt her breath become shallow as she opted to breathe through her mouth to keep from smelling the overpowering stench of death that permeated the air but it still made her eyes, still wide in horrified shock, water.

She certainly wasn't ready for the hand that came from behind touching her shoulder and Ashlynn gave a startled shrill yell as she tore herself away tripping herself over the closest cold body and falling onto her side on the bloody floor next to another body where she yelped when she came face to face with it. Ashlynn scrambled away, dirtying her forearms, hands, and parts of her hair bloody red as she pulled herself back to her feet.

"Che, the Ten year Bazooka, what bad timing." A woman's voice cut in through the silence.

Ashlynn looked to see a mop of long blue hair, white and red infrared goggles and a beige cloak that turned into red the closer it was to the bottom of the cloth. Ashlynn sorely hoped that the red wasn't from blood.

"Come on girl. We need to move away from here. I can't wait for five minutes to be up for you to switch. Let's go." The woman ordered walking forward and grabbing her arm to help her up then jerked her head to a door leading outside.

"...You..."

"My name... is Lal Mirch."

"..The Arcobaleno?"

The woman hummed deep in her throat, but not in an affirmative or a negative. "...A corrupted one...I can't exactly live up to the standard of the other Arcobaleno... You and I were on our last job here."

Ashlynn shook her head. She didn't want to be anywhere near those scattered corpses, even now they were coming across a few as the made their way out of the building and into the sun where Ashlynn saw more people on the ground surrounded by blood. She kept her eyes glued to Lal's back as the woman lead her into the surrounding forest area where Ashlynn quickly pressed her hands to a tree and lost her stomach's contents.

"I..." Ashlynn started when she was able to calm down somewhat to speak. "...I...I did this."

"You will do this." Lal hummed correcting her. "If you don't think you can handle it then don't bother joining Sawada's mafia Family."

'I'm already too involved in the story...' Ashlynn shook her head. "..No...It's, it's far too late for any second thoughts now... and we're in the middle of battling for the half rings. I can't...I can't abandon them. I won't desert them when they need me to be there. I won't allow a five year old to fight in my place."

"Whatever helps you come to terms with it. You will kill, people will die and you will have to get used to that. Let's go, we're still too close. Even though information has shown that this base was too far out of the way, I don't want to be taking any chances and I am on a schedule here and you don't have the means to battle efficiently in this era."

'You need to be in Japan...to meet with younger Tsuna and Gokudera...to bring them to Namimori's hidden underground base.' Ashlynn nodded and quickly caught up to the woman and followed the woman as Lal nodded and began leading her with a brisk jogging pace and switched back only moments after.

Ashlynn hopped a little in her next two steps to get Chrome higher on her back and keep the girl from slipping off as they entered the complex. 'Then the moment I come back to the present I get nearly knocked on my ass from vertigo...I have decided...that I really don't like illusions...'

Dolly stepped in front of her unlocking the door and leading the group towards the bedroom, taking Chrome from her and laid the sleeping girl on the bed and knowing that Ashlynn wouldn't mind she dug into the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and some shorts from Chrome to wear in bed instead of staying in her bloody uniform.

"Miss Ashlynn?"

She jumped a little looking down at Fon by her feet. The Arcobaleno patted the side of her calf and nodded for the bathroom. She silently picked him up, cradling him into her and walked into the room, undressing and began to scrub hard against the dirt and blood off of her skin.

It was morbidly fascinating...seeing all that red in the water swirling around the drain where it disappeared... before more rushed to the hole in the tiled flooring as she washed more and more off of her body, rinsing, lathering, and repeating the motions three times for both her and the small body in front of her before Fon reached to tap her knee to get her attention off of the drain.

"I believe that is enough, Miss Ashlynn. The blood has been cleaned off. You need to rest now."

She nodded grabbing towels to dry them off. Fon pulled on a pair of sleeping robes from a bag she had no idea he had. She sighed, breathing through her nose as she opened the door back to the room finding Dolly gone and Chrome tucked into bed. She pulled out some underthings, a large t-shirt, dressed herself, re-braided Fon's hair, and then braided her own before picking up the infant and slipping into bed next to Chrome.

* * *

><p>One of my favorite lines of this chapter was Dolly declared she'd have a talk with any 'Shameless little Bastards'. Couldn't stop my giggling when I typed it down.<p>

**Some Italian translation for you:**

**"Lo sono chiamato Chrome."** == "Negative. I am called Chrome."

**"E nemmeno si, piccolo. Queste battaglie sono molto importnant alla tua famiglia." **== "And neither will you, little one. These battles are important to your Family."


	21. Chapter 21

**Edit**: I had to put in two of the dividing lines that I forgot~ Sorry if anyone was confused

Quite a lot of Italian in this chapter. Scroll down to the bottom for translation. You'll want it if you really want to understand~. By my story hits I know that there is at least one person from Italy who is reading this. If I have screwed up on the translation then I apologize for butchering your beautiful language and point the blame at Google Translate.

The reason why I didn't put the translate in parentheses when I wrote it is because I'm making a point that Ashlynn does not know what is being said. Better said that everyone knows Italian except those who obviously don't know it (Kyoko, Haru, Nana), and Tsuna and his Guardians minus Gokudera and Mukuro (And Lambo).

* * *

><p><strong>Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguished the strong soul from the weak.<strong>

**- Thomas Carlyle**

**Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.**

**- Bryant H. McGill**

* * *

><p>Someone...<p>

Was playing with her hair?

Not exactly something she normally woke up to every morning. If anything her mother would run her fingers through her and Norene's hair when she would try to get them to fall asleep when they were really little. While sleepily thinking of that matter; what was with everyone with touching her hair? First Yamamoto started patting her head, and then there was that one time with Dino when he, Romario and Reborn had checked up on her that one time a few days after the stunt in Kokuyo...

Wait...Hadn't she put her hair in a braid...?

'Not that I'm complaining...' She thought drowsily.

Ashlynn squinted her eyes and her vision showed her a single purple eye, the other being covered by a black eye patch with a skull embroidered in white, and dark purple hair splaying on the pillow next to her. Chrome did not notice the sleepy stare as she carefully moved her fingers through Ashlynn's hair with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"...Good morning." Ashlynn mumbled covering her mouth before yawning.

Chrome eeped pulling her hand back and looked at her blushing. "I-I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay." Ashlynn soothed closing her eyes. "It felt nice."

"..."

"How are you feeling?"

"Oh..." Chrome blinked. "Better. Thank you... f-for...bringing me here...and letting me use your things...you really didn't have to do that. I could have gone whe-"

"Chrome."

"E-eh?"

Ashlynn opened her eyes. "Best to stop trying to explain how it would have been a better idea to leave you on the floor in the gymnasium in a Junior high school where students attend, M'dear."

"U-um."

"It's okay. Where did Fon go?"

"...With Dolly-san, he said..."

"Hm." Ashlynn turned around and reached for her alarm on the nightstand and sighed. "Jeez, it's only seven?"

"Do you have somewhere to be, Principessa? Kufufu."

Her eyes widened looking down realizing the fact that she was only in her dark blue colored underthings and a big t-shirt that barely covered over her thighs and groaned moving the covers over her lower body as she turned back to find Mukuro next to her. She frowned taking in his paler than normal skin, squashing the righteous female fury instantly. "Are you okay being here?"

"In bed with you?" The boy gave an amused smile. It was tired looking, Ashlynn decided.

"You know what I mean, Mukuro. From the point you showed up last night the battle went on for about another fifteen minutes, five of which was happening while I was in the future. You are paler than normal. And you're still very skinny."

"Kufufu, is that concern for me Principessa?" He asked the smile on his face disappearing. "You forget that I-"

"Forget nothing, Mukuro. And we already talked about that...technically it was with Chrome but you were listening in. What happened in Kokuyo, frankly, sucked like Hell and I certainly won't be forgetting it for a few reasons and-"

"Reasons? You have more than one?" He closed his eyes. "The fact that I attempted to take over your Boss's body should have been quite enough."

"Dolly has a daughter."

He frowned but did not open his eyes waiting for her to continue.

"She was the child that had been taken hostage along with Fuuta. The kid is like my sister. You've hurt my friends both physically and psychological..." She paused a moment. "...I made my first two kills there...heh, I guess that gives you reason to hate me because of that."

"Sanem and Yann."

"...Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Gokudera think that they were dragged to Vindice along with you..."

Mukuro opened his eyes there a curious glint shining within them. "...They do not know that you took their lives?"

"No and I would like to keep it that way for a while."

"So soft. Trying to keep them from the horror."

"Ha, my intention isn't that noble. Selfish, actually." Ashlynn confessed. "My first thought was to keep it from them because I don't want them to hate or fear me because I killed them while they were merely defeating their opponents and leaving them unconscious for someone else to take care of. Reborn, Dino, and Romario know about it and are keeping quiet for me...also that Bianchi, Fon, and Keiko know as well. I couldn't sleep for a while after that..." She stopped a moment on the matter then murmured. "...Speaking of sleep, I'm surprised I didn't wake up at all last night. No nightmares or anything... "

"You gave Chrome a little fright when she woke up, Principessa. She would have thought you yourself were dead had you not been breathing."

She cringed. "...Sorry, Chrome."

"What did you see while in the Future?"

"I saw your 'sea of blood' in a warehouse. Not exactly the world wide scale that you had in mind and it wasn't caused by you...at least as far as I know, I was only there for five minutes and my supposed partner for that particular operation wasn't all forthcoming with any information other than telling me her name and ordering me to hurry up because we had to get a move on and she didn't have time to wait for the five minutes to be up-." She cut herself off as she realized she was rambling. She frowned. "I...I was told I shouldn't bother joining Tsuna's Family because I freaked out...Also said that I'd have to get more used to the fact that people are going to die by my hand." She sighed. "..I don't want to talk about this anymore." She turned back to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor, looked over her shoulder to her 'bed mate'. "Hey. Close your eyes."

"Oya? Whatever for?"

"Just close them." She didn't move until he did as she asked and the smirk came back on his face.

"Are you planning something naughty?" He asked teasingly. "Kufufufu."

She snorted her cheeks turning red, slipping the covers off. "You wish. And you say that I'm not supposed to be corrupting Little Chrome?"

"Then why am I having my eyes closed?" Came the counter.

"Because I'm going to change and I've already had one person make a crack about my underwear." She explained reaching in to her dresser. "I don't need that coming from you too."

"Strange how you women are fine when walking around in a bikini but are suddenly so modest when in your underwear."

"Ha ha, You have a point, I'll give you that." She laughed rummaging around in the drawers. " But it's the principle of the matter. Bathing suits are for swimming despite how skimpy some are. And I'll have you know that I wear a tankini for that purpose. I don't want you looking at my underwear because sometimes I might wear a print that I find cute but embarrassing if anyone sees me actually wearing it."

"But you're not wearing an embarrassing print, but a dark navy that looks very flattering on you."

She growled snatching a book off the top of the dresser and chucked the thing at him. It missed hitting the wall just above him. He laughed smirking at her one last time before switching with Chrome.

Ashlynn sighed in defeat. "I'd tell you to remind me to smack him the next time I see him but I'm sure that you'd probably say you would but end up not doing it because he said so, huh?"

The girl looked down at her hands. A yes then, Ashlynn decided. A knock on her door turned her attention away from the girl, it opened and Dolly walked in with in with Fon on her shoulder and Chrome's uniform and the top part of the trident in her arms. She nodded to her then handed the bundle of clean clothing and the weapon to the girl in bed.

"Th-thank you..."

Dolly nodded. "Did you two just wake up?"

"I did just a few minutes ago."

Chrome shifted. "I've been awake for about an hour..."

"What's wrong?" Dolly frowned asking while Ashlynn changed into a different t-shirt (a plain red one) and a pair of jeans.

"...Principessa..." Chrome glanced up but quickly turned her eyes away, a blush on her face when she saw her changing.

The woman raised an amused eyebrow at her ward hopping on the floor to pull her jeans up. "She calls you 'Princess' too?"

"Yes." Ashlynn zipped up her jeans. "Chrome?"

Chrome looked down again. "You were very still when I woke up...I thought you were dead before I looked to see if you were still breathing."

Dolly blinked then gave a small incline of her head in understanding. "She's right. You do normally sleep lightly but it's easy to tell when you're exhausted or sick, Niamh, because you sleep like the dead. You were like that when you first started living here. I actually thought you had drugged yourself. You were in a daze last night on the way back here. Looked like you were a zombie."

Ashlynn grimaced. "I'm sorry."

Dolly shrugged. "Not totally your fault but it doesn't make it any less creepy to see."

"'Niamh'?" Chrome questioned glancing back up.

"An old nickname from my brother." Ashlynn explained sitting at the edge of the bed. "Meaning 'Bright' or 'Radiant' in Gaelic. In myth she was a Goddess and one of the Queens of Tír na nÓg, The Otherworld or the Land of Youth, called Niamh of the Golden Hair who was the daughter of the Sea God."

"How did he start calling you that?" Fon asked.

Ashlynn shrugged. "I...I don't remember. I just remember him and Seanmáthair calling me that. And now Dolly and sometimes Birdy calls me that"

"Oh..."

"You'll being going out today?" Dolly asked.

She nodded. "I need to stop by the clinic and check in with Shamal and I'll be going to work a little after that."

"Alright." The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Have you been keeping with your assignments for school during this fiasco?"

"Yes. I've been getting them in the mail. And there was a note said that I can turn everything when I return. No doubt Reborn's doing. I'll have to remember to thank him later."

"Alright then. I'll see you later, Niamh, Chrome." Dolly waved her hand and turned for the door, pausing a moment. "By the way, I made bread this morning. There are two loaves on the counter. And there is pound cake in the fridge."

"Thanks Dolly." Ashlynn thanked her while pulling a brush through her hair. "Bye Fon."

"Have a nice day, Miss Ashlynn, Miss Chrome."

Chrome nodded slipping out of the bed as the two left the room and the apartment. Ashlynn tilted her head as the timid girl nervously wrung the hem of the large t-shirt before she stepped out of the room.

"If you want you can take a bath or shower. I'll be in the front room okay?"

"Okay...Principessa?"

Ashlynn poked her head back through the door. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Little Chrome."

"And Principessa?"

"Yes?"

"...Mukuro-sama said that...the bra you're wearing matches nicely-"

"Thank you Chrome. You can go bathe now." Ashlynn said smacking her head against the wall next to the door mentally berating herself for not remembering to at least turn around when she had changed even though Chrome had averted her eyes. Ashlynn decided not to comment further and pretend that she did not hear Chrome saying that she thought the little white bow on the front of her bra was cute.

* * *

><p>"Alright sweetheart! You're good to go~." Shamal grinned then held out his arms, closed his arms and puckered his lips. "How about a kiss for my amazing work?"<p>

Ashlynn rolled her eyes pulling down her shirt to cover the very slight scarring on her tummy. "You are already entitled to a baker's dozen of cupcakes, Shamal."

"Meaning, a little professionalism would be appreciated, Shamal." Ozumi-san added with a grin.

Shamal pouted. "Eh? But I am the epitome of Professionalism, Kentaro! Just because my payments are different than yours-"

"You sexually harass your female patients which are the only patients you actually take...well except that one time you tried to treat that one woman; the large ginger with the big warts that fully expected you to come up with a miracle because she couldn't be bothered to make an effort take care of her own body."

Shamal shuddered. "That woman was the uncutest thing I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. To be honest I genuinely thought she was a man when I first met her. Now, now Ashlynn-chan don't give me that look. It wasn't only because of her looks that I was repulsed: it was also because she was a horrible screaming banshee that blew up with every word I tried to speak, wouldn't agree with the treatments and health diet I tried to assign her, mocked the way I spoke when I could get a few words in, sabotaged the room I was staying in and oh lord above her pits stank something fierce."

"That wasn't the only thing that stank." Ozumi-san said. "Didn't you have to wear an illusioned gas mask while in the same room as her because she would let a fart rip every so often?"

"Not every so often, my friend; it was every few minutes without reprieve and I was in that household for six days before I was able to get away. And she had the gall to ask why I wasn't flirting with her and had even demanded that I..." The man rubbed his arms. "Luckily one of the servants took pity on me and gave me a chance to escape because the woman apparently developed a crush on me (how that happened I'll never understand) and was planning to go screaming to her rich porky daddy and tell him that I touched her and I would be obliged to marry that monstrosity."

Ashlynn winced in sympathy.

Shamal continued. "I was really lucky I got away. Speaking of lucky~, will you be testing for those cupcakes soon?"

"I'm going to work today so I'll talk to Keiko when I get there, so most likely we'll be seeing what the trigger is."

The man cheered. "I'll look forward to it!"

Ozumi-san snorted. "While the rest of us wait with trepidation."

"Oh, you're just jealous I'm gonna get lucky with the ladies~."

"I don't need to get lucky. You forget that I'm a married man with two kids." Ozumi-san held up his left hand to show off his wedding band.

"Your loss~." Sing-songed Shamal.

"So everything is good to go?" Ashlynn made sure cutting off Ozumi-san's retort.

"Good as a whistle."

"...That doesn't make sense." She blinked. "If I was a whistle then these injuries mean that I've been cracked-"

"And you've been fixed. Go on, Ashlynn-chan. You're good to fight and work out."

"Okay then, thanks Shamal, Ozumi-san."Ashlynn shrugged waving a hand as she went through the door. She shut the door behind her and made her way back to the stairway to go down to the first floor to wait for Chrome to be dome with whatever it was she was doing.

"Eh? Ashlynn?"

"Hmm?" She looked down. The tired looking group consisting of Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei stopped at the door leading to the second floor hallway.

"EXTREMELY good morning Senpai!" Ryohei greeted. Gokudera nodded while Yamamoto reached forward to pat her hair.

"Morning. What are you guys doing?" She asked following them into the hallway.

Gokudera snorted. "We ran into each other on the way here because we all had the same idea to talk to Dino and ask him how Hibari will fare tonight against that Mosca guy. Are you the same?"

"Nope." She told them. "I came here with Chrome to check with Ozumi-san and Shamal."

"Oh? Are you okay?" Yamamoto asked.

"Apparently I'm as good as a whistle...whatever that is supposed to mean. In get it, it's just...yeah. Weird comparison."

Ryohei rubbed his chin. "That Chrome girl is here?"

Gokudera scowled. "Why?"

"You forget that her stomach caved in last night. Ozumi-san worked with her for a while. I guess after this she's going to go and find Ken and Chikusa."

"...Aa."

"Anche così, Romario, voglio che stanotte pronto per ogni evenienza."

The group of four perked up as one of the nearby doors opened and Dino and Romario walked out for a moment and paused when they saw each other.

"...Uhm, hey guys." Dino smiled walking over. He kissed Ashlynn's cheek in greeting.

"Wow Dino." Ashlynn mused.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I have no idea what you just said a few seconds ago but you sounded really cool."

The Boss sighed. "Meaning I don't always sound cool?"

"Oh, you are." Ashlynn quickly said catching Romario's eyes as the man tried to smother his laughter and continued. "Just so long as you're not tripping over yourself and ruining what you just said..."

"Were you talking about Hibari being ready tonight?" Gokudera glowered. "Is he preparing right now, Dino?"

"I suppose he is. He was very...excited for the battle the last time I saw him which was earlier this morning. Is that why you're all here? To ask how Kyouya would do tonight?"

"I came here to check with Ozumi-san and Shamal." Ashlynn piped in. The others funnily enough agreed with her.

Dino frowned. "Are you sure..? I mean...Shamal is good and all...and Ozumi-san is really your doctor but..."

"It's fine, Dino, and I already saw them, just came down from seeing them and they said I'm good to fight again. Also I'm not worried at all for Hibari-san's fight by the way." She said answering before he could form the question. "I am confident that he will win. Hell, I would be willing to bet on how much time it would take for him to beat Mosca."

"Oh. Well it's good that you have faith in him."

"So Hibari will win?" Ryohei asked.

"Well, I'm confident that he will as well." Dino said then elaborated. "That Kyouya is a very tough and volatile person. Like I said a few nights ago, even I don't truly know his full potential; just that he has grown exponentially from the first time we have fought."

* * *

><p>The prefects weapons clanked away across the ground as Hibari glared from his kneeling position holding onto his injured arm, covered in bruises and blood from the current battle with the hulking Varia Cloud Guardian.<p>

"Hi-Hibari-san!" Tsuna yelled.

Xanxus smirked lounging from his throne like chair. "Gola Mosca. Finish him."

"No! Don't! Please Stop! STOP!" Tsuna cried running towards the barrier.

Gola Mosca raised his arm, his fingers aimed directly at the fallen male.

"No! Don't do it! Hiiiiiie!" Tsuna screamed his eyes wide as he shot up from his pillow, fumbled around the tangled bed sheets before he fell off the bed hitting his head hard on the ground. He stayed there regaining his breath from terror. He untangled himself and rubbed where he had hit his head. "It...Just a dream...? It wasn't real...thank goodness." Tsuna sighed in relief. "I shouldn't be worried though. There's no way that Hibari-san would lose...but then Reborn looked...worried...? When he said Xanxus was sure that Mosca would win..." He sighed again and pulled himself back into bed. "It's still early so I should be able to get at least another hour of sleep..."

"..."

"Uwaaaaah! I got myself worried and now I can't sleep!" Tsuna cried sitting up and glancing at Reborn sleeping peacefully in his cot. "And he's sleeping away without a care! Not fair..."

Tsuna grumbled pulling off his plane patterned pajamas and slipped into his school uniform, grabbed his bag, snatched a piece of toast from the kitchen table, slipped on his shoes and rushed for the clinic. "If anyone knows how Hibari-san will do, it will definitely be Dino-san..." He slowed down to a jog when the building came into sight and he walked up the few steps to the front door. 'Though Reborn did say that he had something really important to do last night but it should be okay to talk to him now, shouldn't it?' He wondered to himself pulling on the handle, not noticing someone was already pushing on the same door from the inside. The door smacked into his face.

"Oh! Boss...I'm sorry, are you hurt?"

Tsuna rubbed at his forehead looking to the speaker. "Uhh, no, it's okay. I-I'm fine."

Chrome nodded though she didn't look very convinced as she hugged a black bag and the trident's prongs against her chest.

'...Where is she...? Oh, that's right! She fainted after Mukuro left and Ashlynn and Dolly-san took her home.' Tsuna fidgeted standing in her way. "Umm, what should I call you? Chrome-san…or Dokuro-san?"

The girl maneuvered to the side and walked passed him. "Anything is okay, Boss."

"Aa. Um, where are you going?"

Chrome stopped to look over her shoulder. "They said that Ken and Chikusa ran off somewhere..."

'That's right! They left her behind because she was unconscious!'

"I came with Principessa to this place to check with her doctor. She's asleep now with the others so I'm going to go look for Ken and Chikusa now."

'Principessa? Who's that? I should know, right?' Tsuna wondered. "Well thank you for showing up last night." Tsuna said looking back to where she was but found the girl already rushing off. 'She-! She wasn't even listening! And she's running off at full speed!'

Tsuna sighed carefully opening the front door and entering the clinic looking through the doors on the first floor for anyone before walking up the steps to the second and following the sound of voices from one of the rooms. As he got closer he found he didn't understand a word that was being said but he definitely recognized Dino's and Romario's voices from behind the door.

"Allora?"

"Non c'è stato alcun cambiamento, ma, in ogni caso questo è tutto ciò che possiamo fare in questo momento."

"Lo so! Ma perché questo lavoro abbiamo bisogno di essere in grado di muoversilui da questa sera al più tardi, a mezzogiorno al più presto!"

'They're...speaking in Italian. And Dino sounds so serious.' Tsuna gulped turning the handle of the door and knocking as he poked his head through.

"Who's there?" The Cavallone Boss demanded.

"Uhmmm, it's just m-me." Tsuna stepped through the doorway

Dino nodded to Romario before turning to grin at Tsuna. "Yo, Tsuna! Sorry, I didn't expect to see you here so early. Good morning!"

"G-Good morning, I couldn't sleep, sooo, umm..." He trailed off. 'Whew...it's the same old smiling Dino-san again.'

"Oh. You wanted to find out from how Kyouya will fight tonight at the battle."

"E-eh?" Tsuna started. 'He, he's sharp!'

Dino patted his shoulder. "Come on in Tsuna, I'll make you some tea."

"You don't have to...you seem really busy right now, Dino-san." Tsuna protested but followed the older male into a lounge area.

He laughed. "I'll always have time to talk with my cute little brother...Hm? Where is that Chrome girl? She's disappeared..."

"Oh, um...She just left. I ran into her just a few minutes ago." Tsuna spoke up. 'Well, I actually ran into the door right when she was opening it...'

"I see...well, you're worried that if Kyouya loses tonight then it will all be over, right...? These guys; they were either worried or just bored...well except for Ashlynn apparently. She was here for Ozumi and Shamal."

"E-everyone's here...?" Tsuna wondered staring at the group asleep on the couches; Gokudera was on one couch with his leg crossed over the other and his head tilted down, Ryohei was kneeling almost uncomfortably on the floor with his upper body lying flat on the furniture, Ashlynn was on the other couch sitting but using her arms as a pillow on top of the arm rest while Yamamoto curled across the remaining space with his head on her lap.

"Yeah. After Ashlynn told me the reason why she was here they all used the same excuse, checking on their injuries to see if they were good to start training again. I would have believed them if they all hadn't fallen asleep after I told them about Kyouya's training."

"So that means..."

"That's right. Kyouya is a perfect finish. And as his home tutor, and I say this without any favoritism, that boy is really strong."

"I'm glad to hear that." Tsuna breathed easier. '...Now that I'm relieved, somehow I feel really sleepy...'

"You have to get to training."

"Hiiiiiie!" Tsuna shrieked surprisingly not waking any of the sleeping persons, pointing at the ninja dressed Reborn perched on the window sill.

"Let's go Tsuna. You need to perfect the zero point breakthrough by the end of today." The hitman ordered.

'Damn, he gave me a fright. Looks like I haven't shaken off that habit since he tutored me.' Dino rubbed his temples.

"Re-Reborn! People will stare if you dress like that! And, and, wait a minute! The battle tonight will decide it all! There isn't any reason for me to continue is there? Because Hibari-san-"

"It is precisely why you must continue to train, Tsuna. What will you do if something happens?" The hitman asked him seriously.

'What if...?'

"Exactly. Let's go, we need to get you prepared for the worst possible outcome."

Tsuna gulped. "B-but what about-?"

"Leave Hibari's battle to the other Guardians." Reborn motioned his head to the sleeping group. "All you need to do right now is focus on perfecting your technique."

"I still don't-."

Reborn cut him off again. "I'm being very serious, Tsuna. Now let's go, we're wasting daylight."

* * *

><p>She whimpered standing within the confines the of the dark warehouse. Slowly, ever so slowly, the building started to lighten slightly revealing the image of death and gore she had seen in the future. And she, she was standing in the middle of the room dripping with the red substance that had once been pumped from their fragile beating hearts.<p>

Sanem and Yann who had died by her personal hand laying closest to her, Sanem's legs chopped off and bullets through the young woman's brow, her face looking up in cold dead horror while Yann simply laid on the floor with his face splattered on the ground below him. The others bore the faces she had seen in the future.

"How, h-how could you?"

Ashlynn whirled around to the voice with her already bloodied weapons. She hesitated at the look of terror on the boy's face. Tsuna's face. "You...you killed them! Ashlynn, why! You didn't have to go that far! You could have just knocked them out and even if they did go back into Vindice they would have still been alive!"

"Tsuna...I had to...I would have been killed!" She tried to explain. "They were double teaming me and I didn't have anyone to back me up! She, Sanem kept throwing Yann's weapons back to him whenever I was able to knock them away from him. I was extremely lucky she wasn't paying attention to where my chakram was and Yann, he was choking me! I had no choice, Tsuna!"

"Of course you had a choice."

She snapped her neck to the second voice. Don Timoteo limping forward with a hand pressed to his chest to cover a dark bleeding wound. "You should have informed us of your knowledge. Perhaps we would have been able to cull the number of casualties."

"B-but! Seanathair! You ordered me to keep my counsel!"

The old man gave a bitter smile. "You could have tried harder to convince me otherwise, my dear. And even if I could not be fully convinced otherwise you could have dropped hints, subtle ones, but hints nonetheless."

"But you didn't." Tsuna spoke again, a hard and sorrowful light in his eyes. "So many people are hurt now and many destroyed by you yourself. You, you're nothing but a monster."

"Ts-Tsuna-!" Ashlynn cried reaching a hand out.

He slapped it away the sorrow completely taken over by terror. The brunet scrambled away eyes wide in fear and crying. "Hiiiiiiiiie! N-No! Don't touch me! Please! Please don't hurt me! D-Don't kill me! All I wanted was to be friends! I didn't want myself or anyone else to be pulled into the mafia! I-I'm sorry! Ashlynn! I'm sorry! I should have tried harder! Then you wouldn't have ended up like this! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

"Step away from my heir, Miss Ashlynn." Timoteo walked a wide berth around her to step protectively in front of Tsuna with a gun aimed at her. The younger male sobbed into the man's back gripping the material of the dark suit. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I cannot allow any more of my Famiglia to be threatened by such a hostile and dangerous person. It was a big mistake to perform that experiment to bring you here and an even bigger one to make you a Guardian. We should have taken our chances with the young Bovino child."

"S-Seanathair!" She choked out, tears making smudged paths through the blood splattered on her face.

"You should have stayed dead instead of coming here."

"NO! Seanathair please!"

The wizened Godfather narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger of the pistol, shooting the bullet straight through the heart.

Ashlynn's head shot up from its place on her arms gasping and sweating, moving clammy hands to move her hair out of her face making her find out that someone had taken her hair out of its restraints again. 'Well,' She thought sardonically once she calmed down enough that the fear in her stomach faded away a little. She wiped at her eyes, brushing away some tears. 'There's the nightmare I was expecting last night...'

"Ash? S' wrong?"

'...Ash? I haven't been called that for a very long time.' She frowned looking down at her lap and finding Yamamoto laying on her sleepily. 'When did he get there...?' She sighed moving her hair over her left shoulder. "Nothing. Just my subconscious parading my insecurities without mercy. Time is it?" She fumbled her hand into her pocket trying not to move the drowsy male too much and sighed again when the numbers glared back up at her almost mockingly. "It's only been about forty-five minutes. Sorry Yamamoto but I've got to get up."

The boy made a small puppy like whine in the back of his throat but did nothing to stop her from getting up. She knelt beside him and ran her fingers through his scalp as an apology which he amusingly tilted his head into. "If it weren't for the fact that you'll back asleep in a few moments and whatever I tell you, you'll end up thinking it was a dream, I'd say that I'm off to work and so you shouldn't worry when you wake up and find me gone...I'll just write a note...or find Dino if he's still here. Mmkay sleepyhead?"

"Mmkay~."

"Cute. See you later then." Ashlynn got up from her kneeling position and walked first to the lounge's sink and splashed some water in her face and dried off with a towel before leaving the small waiting area. She found Dino and Romario talking again in one of the rooms in Italian. She just knocked on the door and when they looked up she waved from the small window in the door and mouthed that she was going to work. Once she got a nod and a cheerful wave from both men she stepped down the stairs and out of the building for the bakery.

Keiko squealed from beside the door when she caught sight of her walking passed the glass windows and across the threshold. The woman rushed forward smothering Ashlynn into her large bosom. "Sugar sweetie! Good morning! I was so happy when you said you were going to come in today!"

"Morning Boss Lady." Ashlynn voiced through the hug. "I wanted to see if we could find what the trigger was to those cupcakes if that's okay?"

"Of course darling! Let's go!" The woman smiled joyfully dragging Ashlynn to the back of the building to her workstation and sat down as Ashlynn pulled her apron on and tied the strings around her back. "I guess I should start by asking what you were doing the first time through~."

Ashlynn nodded pulling everything out and accepting the hair tie that Keiko offered. "It was cupcakes, though I'm not sure if it's only limited to that. I...it was the day of my battle..."

"Hmmm, go on."

"My mind was wandering while I was working." Ashlynn told her Boss not minding the curious sates from the coworkers that she hadn't seen in almost a week and a half who were staring at her curiously. "I was really restless and...I remember thinking how cool it would be for our side to be really lucky, especially Dino and Tsuna since in normal situations they seem to need it the most..."

Keiko hummed in agreement sticking a finger into the frosting that was being stirred in the mixer and sucking on the sugar covered digit. "And?"

Ashlynn paused before shrugging and getting back to work. "That's kind of it, Boss Lady. I'm sorry, I should have at least wrote down what I thought the moment that I thought that we had a breakthrough but I had to go pick lunch up and run it to that cliff where everyone was training at-."

Keiko pressed her hands to the girl's cheeks. "How did you sleep last night?"

"What?"

"How did you sleep last night?" The woman repeated herself.

She shifted. "Pretty well considering..."

"Considering?" Keiko prompted releasing her employee.

Ashlynn bit her lip pulling out the pans that she would put the batter in. She waved Keiko closer before murmuring for only her to hear. "I got hit by the Ten Year bazooka...I was in a warehouse surrounded by bodies and blood...I slept well I guess because it hadn't really fully sunk in though Dolly did mention that I was walking home like a zombie last night with Chrome on my back. Once I finished meeting with Shamal and Ozumi-san I met with the boys and fell asleep in the lounge at the clinic..."

"And then what happened?"

"Nightmare. Tsuna and Seanathair saying I was a monster for taking out Yann and Sanem back in Kokuyo and all those people that my future self killed...He claimed that I was hostile threat...and...At the end Seanathair shot me..." Ashlynn pressed her hand to her heart.

Keiko nodded and didn't say anything, just sitting there and watching as Ashlynn started to let her mind wander as she flitted around and didn't speak until the girl finished frosting each little cake and placed them on a long rectangular platter to be take out to the front and put in the display cases. The woman swept in taking the platter and sat Ashlynn down and told her to stay until she came back.

And she did come back into the baking area with a thoughtful look on her face not ten minutes later. "Well," She said in a normal speaking voice which made Ashlynn look alarmed at the other workers. "Don't worry my sweet; you forget that I am an illusionist. They can't hear us unless I wanted them to. Now to start I'm going to say that normally when you work there is nothing lucky about what you make otherwise this shop would get a lot more publicity which probably wouldn't be such a great idea given the fact that this is a mafia run shop though everyone except you and a few of my business allies know. Anyway, seeing you work now I think I've figured your trigger." She paused.

Ashlynn tilted her head. "Yes?"

"It's tied to your emotional state and your dying will's reaction to it."

"...Longer detailed version please?"

She nodded. "Bare in mind that this is mostly speculation since the full mechanics of the Dying will flames are still considered a great mystery but the first thing you should understand is that your will is like a shapeable aura."

"That part has been explained to me already. I've likened it to a cloak that covers me like a magical security blanket and since my affinity is for lightning that cloak is sparking bolts of it."

"That's a good image to use and visualization is an important component in learning to master your affinity." Keiko tapped her fingers to her lips. "Hmmm, I'm trying to think of a way to explain this without thoroughly confusing you."

"Well," Ashlynn conceded. "I don't need to know the scientific specifics of how it works; I mean I've done fine so far believing I have awesome magical powers. Right now I'd like to understand why my emotional state is linked to making lucky cupcakes. Is it doing that because of the excess energy I'm putting off is doing something productive without me guiding it? And if I had refined its use would it be more potent? And-?" She stopped and yelped when Keiko crushed her to her chest.

"Cinnamon, you're so smart! I didn't even have to try and explain and you figured out on your own with only knowing it was tied to you!" Keiko gushed.

Ashlynn hummed in throat as she was released. "But if this is tied with how high strung I am...this means that I'd have to work myself up to make anything remotely lucky? That doesn't sound fun."

"It could be much more often, like if you actually had mood swings like a normal female during your time of the month."

"Your envy is duly noted but that's getting off track." Ashlynn leaned against the counter.

"Not exactly but I'll move on. It won't be fun, I know, so you'll just have to make do with that fact and take advantage of times when you meet the requirements for this particular skill. And now that we have the trigger we should see how long they will last. I'll call up Shamal and Kentaro. Shamal because he's the one who'll be having them first and Kentaro to help make observations."

"Alright, but why not you, me and Bianchi?"

Keiko giggled. "I knew you were going to ask that. The thing with testing this is we need other people to do so. Rest assured that Bianchi and I will definitely be involved but sadly it won't work if you test them. And I know this because I had been called in on a favor to help Bianchi shortly after she first started out in the mafia underground." She raised a hand here to stop Ashlynn from asking any questions. "Let me finish, sugar, I'll no doubt answer whatever you're about to ask. The reason why it wouldn't work for you is the same reason that Bianchi can consume her poison cooking without any dire side effects. It was because of something in her aura that made her creations poisonous in the first place so she has immunity to it. So while you can make people very lucky or unlucky depending on whom," Keiko gave her a mischievous smile. "Your mind wanders to make them more receptive to luck but you will not be able to use the effects for yourself."

"That makes sense I guess." Ashlynn bit her lip.

"And a little unfair, I know, because luck is such a fickle mistress and to have an ability to crank that into your cooking makes this skill invaluable down the line but not very practical with the inconsistency because of the requirements."

"Okay, so now what?"

Keiko stood from her chair and gently pinched Ashlynn's cheek. "You go ahead and bake another batch while I get something other than sweets for lunch. When you're finished wrap it up, come see me, eat and then you'll be taking a nap on my lovely new couch in my office."

"Boss Lady, I-"

Keiko held up a hand. "If I let you do more you'll make everything lucky for your Famiglia but it will end up being unlucky for our customers and that may drive some away even if I do damage control with illusions. Oh, now, now my peanut, believe me you're looking half dead on your feet. Just do what I've just told you and I'll take care of the rest." Keiko patted her cheek. "You don't have to work everything out by yourself, Lovely. I worry for you."

'Her being happy just comes naturally to her so it's really just trying to make others happy. You've noticed that she hugs people a lot? She once told me that she craves the contact she has with people. Keiko is one of those people that love everyone regardless of their background. After some operations she will seek out her friends to feel that they are alive and well. '

'That was what Lussuria had said...' Ashlynn's lips twitched but she nodded earning herself another trip into Boss Lady's massive breasts. "...Thanks for looking out for me Boss Lady."

"You've got it, Dumpling. I'll see you when you've finished!" Keiko grinned skipping out of the room to her office while Ashlynn tied her apron a little tighter and cranked out another batch.

Which she finished a lot sooner than she expected to and within the next half hour she was in front of Keiko's desk with a finished platter of different colored frosted cupcakes.

"How cute~!" The woman cooed from her seat behind her desk. "I'm sure Shamal will appreciate the extra work you put in to stay up longer."

"Ehehehe." Ashlynn laughed.

"Alrighty. Here," Keiko handed over a small takeout box with Takesushi's logo on top. "Eat."

She opened the box and popped a piece of the rolled meat surrounded by a ring of rice into her mouth and hummed at the good taste. 'Crab and eel.' she realized pleasantly sitting on the on the long black couch that had a dark red fleece blanket folded on one side with the box opened on her lap. "Thanks. Hey Keiko?"

"Yes?"

"Couldn't we give our group a cupcake for tonight?"

"Luck would be a good thing..." Keiko said shuffling through a few files she had in hand. "But until we have thoroughly tested everything possible about them I am going to have to say no. My reasoning is that we do not yet know if it is only a single instance of luck or you retain the effects until it is fully digested. For example: in battle one can get really lucky by narrowly being missed by a strike that would have guaranteed death but then because of that one instance of luck the buff wouldn't have any effect on any of the other attacks that have the same guaranteed chance of striking you dead."

"Oh."

"It was a good question, Honey."

"Fukano-san!" The door reopened. The female employee that had basically offered her to Hibari-san wrath opened the door without bothering to knock and stalked to the desk irritably. "Meagher's disappeared again. And it's not even the end of her shift yet!" She complained.

Ashlynn raised an eyebrow. 'But...I'm right here in front of her. How have I-...oh, illusion.' She turned her eyes to Keiko who was grinning like a vulpine.

"Ashlynn-chan? She's out running some important errands for me, dearie, no need to worry so much."

The girl snorted derisively. "I'm not worried, Fukano-san. I'm annoyed because she hasn't been bothering to come to work and when she finally does show up she stays for barely an hour and a half and then leaves. I think you should just fire her already. And I would appreciate you not calling me 'dearie' or any of those other ridiculous nicknames, Fukano-san."

'Wow. Drama~.' Ashlynn popped another few pieces of sushi into her mouth while starting to feel a little drowsy.

Keiko pouted a little then just...stared at the employee. Ashlynn watched interestingly as the girl's expression turned from annoyed scowl to a content smile. The older woman smiled in return and waved the younger female off. "I'll check up on you later, Fujishi-san!"

"Thank you Fukano-san." Came the demure reply from Fujishi who stopped to give a short bow before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"...What was that all about?"

"She was going to start asking questions again so I merely played with her perceptions and thoughts. Sometimes this happens when an employee figures out that this shop makes a lot more money than it should be making. It's immoral, yes, and I would have fired one or two already to take care of it but I find it easier to adjust their vision of the truth and then everyone keeps their jobs, then everything is happy again and I don't lose my cute little shop."

"Whoa. And you made it so she couldn't see me either?" Ashlynn asked yawning. 'Why am I so tired suddenly?'

"That's right and I am also the reason why you are beginning to drift off. Take another piece then lay down dear. I'll wake you when you need to leave for Namimori." Keiko said standing up and taking away the half eaten contents of the box, put it on the table then pulled the blanket around the girl. "No dreams, just nice peaceful rest."

* * *

><p>"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!"<p>

Fon's cheeks dimpled in an amused smile as he ran beside her through the streets. "Now, Miss Ashlynn there is still another five minutes until the start of the battle and you'll be there in but a mere two."

"Yeah, but I would have liked Keiko to wake me up earlier than she did! And why are all my hair ties disappearing? I lost four today already!" Ashlynn huffed turning the last corner and down the street. She stopped at the gates and looked down at the Arcobaleno questioningly. "You're not going to stay and watch?"

He shook his head. "I will be meeting with Dino and his right hand to make sure there aren't any complications with the transport of...an acquaintance of his."

'Squalo.' Ashlynn nodded. "Alright, I'll see you back home then?"

"You will."

"Bye then." She waved the infant goodbye and when he disappeared she ran in a sprint around the main building to the sports' fields, then slowed down to a jog then into a brisk walk as she walked behind Levi and Bel standing beside a lounging Xanxus to where Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei and Dolly were standing outside of a large fenced off circular area. Just like she vaguely remembered it; barbed wire, Gatling guns space around the circumference of the battle area, Hibari and Gola Mosca standing apart within the innermost part. She nodded to Dolly and Gokudera and smiled at Yamamoto who immediately reached out to pat her hair.

"You made it in time." Yamamoto whispered.

"Oh good." Ashlynn reached into her pocket for her phone pressed through a few buttons and raised her eyes to the Cervello between the two combatants as the women began the explanation of the battleground. She spied the three from Kokuyo sitting on the other side of the fenced off area.

"The Cloud battlefield. The mission of the Cloud is to be 'The aloof, drifting cloud that protects the Family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can ever bind.' Therefore, we have prepared the most extreme field for him."

The second woman nodded. "As you can see the field is surrounded on all sides by barbed wire, as well as eight automatic batteries that will shoot at any mobile object it detects within a thirty meter radius. Furthermore, there are countless pressure sensitive mines buried under the ground. Once activated, an alarm will sound followed immediately by an explosion."

"That's insane!" Ryohei protested.

"If you're scared then just run away." Levi declared a few feet away. "Just like the way your Boss did."

"Ushishishi." Bel chuckled.

"Up yours!" Gokudera snarled viciously. "The Boss didn't run away, you asshole!"

Yamamoto cut in with a smiled. "It's just that there's no reason for Tsuna to take the trouble to coming out. Because Hibari is our Ace. He won't lose here."

"What?" Levi questioned.

"Pffft."

Ashlynn glanced over to Xanxus.

"Ace...Bwahahaahaa! I'm definitely looking forward to this!" The man roared with amusement.

"Crazy bastard." Gokudera grumbled. "Alright. Let's go."

"Aa! The huddle!" Yamamoto wrapped one arm around Ashlynn and the other around Gokudera as Ryohei wrapped his good one around Ashlynn's other shoulder.

"HIBARI...FIGHT! OHH!"

Dolly's lips quirked in amusement but did not comment on the display.

Gokudera glared at Ryohei. "Oi! You were too soft, Lawn head!"

"It can't be bothered can it? Hibari's already in the ring." The boxer scratched his ear.

Yamamoto grinned. "Still, Gokudera was the one who was completely against the circle rally in the beginning, but now you're really motivated."

"Of course. If Boss was here then that's what he would have wanted." Gokudera scowled looking over to the combatants. 'Don't you dare lose, Hibari...for the Boss' sake!'

"Then we shall begin." The Cervello nodded.

Ashlynn held up her phone with the camera on video, her thumb over the button and started recording just as the Cervello said her next words.

"For the Cloud Ring: Gola Mosca versus Hibari Kyouya. Begin the battle!"

Puffs of smoke blew from Mosca's mask as he leaped into the air and rockets appeared at the bottom of his shoes then blasted across the small expanse of the arena where he wouldn't be gunned down by the Gatling batteries or set off any of the buried landmines straight towards the waiting Hibari, raising both hands as the fingertips revealed holes where he shot real bullets from their narrow chambers at the prefect creating smoke where the attacks missed hitting the hard dirt that was the ground, kicking up dust that rose into the air like a smokescreen.

"He-he's flying!" Gokudera's jaw dropped.

Yamamoto's eye widened. "Is, is that even allowed?"

Hibari maneuvered out of the way of the bullets and struck his flying opponent denting the metal head and impaling the other within the mechanical arm and tearing it and its wires out of the shoulder socket. Mosca fell backwards to the ground from another hit from the tonfa that did not have a large arm still impaled onto it. Hibari turned to face them kicking off the severed arm just as the sparking wires from the gaping shoulder caused a short circuit and promptly exploded sending a gust of wind in the spectators direction. He stalked back to his opponent and retrieved the objective of the battle and combined it with the half that he removed from the chain around his neck.

"Aaaand time. From the moment the battle started to Hibari connecting the rings that's...Ha! Thirty-six seconds mofo!" Ashlynn said out loud for the video she was recording switching from Hibari to show Ryohei and Yamamoto just blankly staring in shock while Gokudera had his arm pointing in front of him as his eyebrows twitched. Dolly whistled. Ashlynn grinned stopping the recording, saved it, and then sent it as a message.

"Omnivore."

"Uhn?" Ashlynn looked up questioningly seeing Hibari staring at her.

"Here. I have no use for this." He said tossing the completed ring at her that she had to scramble to catch it.

"You know," She said. "These are pretty important."

He ignored her chiding, his attention now on Xanxus. "Now you, the one sitting there. Come down here."

Ashlynn discreetly brought her phone back out with her fingers ready to record what was going to happen next.

"I'm not leaving for home until I beat the crap out of the King of the mountain."

"What did you say?" Levi demanded angrily.

Bel scowled. "Don't just 'what' you octopus, or haven't you noticed? We've lost the ring contest battles...so what now Boss?"

A smirk slowly grew on his face as he observed the smoking Mosca in the Cloud arena. Xanxus lifted himself lazily from his chair then leaped into the air over the barbed wire and hit the sole of his foot against the out-stretched tonfa in Hibari's grasping before bounding off and landed in a kneel. "Hmmm, my foot slipped."

Hibari's eyes narrowed. "It must have."

"No really." Xanxus replied smoothly jumping to another spot as the ground beneath him exploded. "I only came down to retrieve that piece of junk Guardian, nothing more. We have obviously lost."

"Hnn. The look on your face tells me a different story, Monkey Boss." Hibari shot forward to strike the other male. Ashlynn took the chance to start recording so she could pass along what was happening but the majority of her attention was on the lump of metal that was Gola Mosca with a worried frown. '...What should I do now? Should I let it happen just because it did in canon...? Or interfere and risk a situation that never was supposed to happen?'

Ryohei gaped. "What the heck is Hibari doing? He already won against that mechanical monster!"

"I- I can't believe he called him a monkey." Gokudera sputtered.

Ashlynn nodded. "And I can't believe I got away with calling him a mofo."

"Is that who you were referring to, Niamh? That along with the fact that everyone was gaping at how fast it was over with." Dolly grumbled.

Hibari pressed his new prey who wasn't fighting back but evading him into the thirty meter range of the Gatling guns that began shooting at them as they traveled over the ground, jumping when they heard the high pitch alarm before the land mines went off in an explosion. "How long do you plan on keeping this up?"

Xanxus grinned savagely at the growing irritation on his attacker's face. "Don't worry. I won't raise an arm."

"If you say so." Hibari said throwing another strike. "Either way, I'll be biting you to death."

"That brat-! How dare he mock the Boss!" Levi growled clenching his fists.

"Calmati faccia imbronciata" Bel retorted.

"Che cosa mi hai chiamato!" Levi's eyes flared answering back in Italian.

"Abbiamo già perso la battaglia. Se mostriamo ogni azione ostile contro di loro sisarà preso come ammutinamento contro l'erede in carica decimo. Avranno le nostre teste per ribellione insieme con il capo." The prince murmured.

"Vuoi dire che dovremmo permettere che questa insolenza di continuare?"

"Beh, il nostro capo intrigante sembra avere qualcosa nella manica. Io certamente non ne ho idea ... ma Squalo o Mammon a avrebbe potuto conoscere."

Dolly frowned as the two Varia members whispered to each other in their native language as they watched their Boss fight their Cloud Guardian. Her fingers twitched in anticipation, ready to grasp her shotgun off of her back. 'Something's...not right here.'

'Alright, that's enough. Sending this on.' Ashlynn stopped the recording but didn't bother to take the time to save before she sent the video on. 'I hope you're ready, Tsuna, because I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing and neither does anyone else.'

* * *

><p>Cambio da energia principale a energia. Se controllo non possible irruzione in zono bersaglio cattura nemico attaco! Distruzione Totale.<p>

* * *

><p>Reborn blinked as a sudden light exuded from his student then the flame burned out from his brow. "Fnn."<p>

"What? Just then..." Tsuna stared at the mitten form of his gloves.

"Congratulations Tsuna. That was the Zero point breakthrough." Reborn nodded before Leon jumped into his hand and transformed into a cell phone. He looked at the two messages curiously as Basil enthusiastically praised Tsuna.

Tsuna looked up. "It's an unexpected technique. And I wouldn't have been able to do it alone. Basil-kun, thank you."

"Aaaaand time. From the moment the battle started to Hibari connecting the rings that's...ha, thirty-six seconds mofo."

Tsuna started at Ashlynn's voice came from Leon's transformed body. "Ehh! What is-?"

"A message from Lady Ashlynn!" Basil crouched behind Reborn to view the attachment.

'Wh-who exactly is she calling a 'mofo'?' Tsuna bit his lip.

"Looks like Hibari won the battle for the ring." Reborn announced before checking into the next video message and found Hibari calling Xanxus down into the battlefield where the two began to make their way around the grounds with Hibari attacking the other male.

"W-what!" Tsuna cried. "What is Hibari doing?"

"Obviously, he's fighting against Xanxus. Let's go Tsuna."

"R-right, we have to stop them!"

* * *

><p>Hibari raised an eyebrow as Xanxus caught the tonfa that had momentarily broken through his guard, his hand lighting up for moment with his will but snarled and quickly crushed the flame into nothing and retreating back a few steps. "I thought I heard you say you weren't going to raise your arm?"<p>

"That guy," Levi murmured amazed. "He's actually forcing the Boss's hand? Unbelievable."

Xanxus dodged out of the way of the continued attacks. "Cervello." He called out.

The women perked up. "Yes, Lord Xanxus?"

"Don't forget anything that happens here. Especially the fact that I haven't retaliated in a hostile manner."

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes as the two women slowly nodded their ascent. 'Dammit all!' She ignored the shocked gasps from her group and vaulted herself over the barbed fence, releasing the forms of her chakrams as she maneuvered herself at Hibari's back and blocked his blind spot just as the energy shot blasted from Gola Mosca that was now standing stiffly back on its feet. Hibari glanced at her from behind his shoulder.

She shrugged brushing her hair behind her shoulder; catching a glance at Xanxus to gauge his reaction. "This is taking too long. See, your Guardian is back on his mechanical little feet."

Mosca's uniform tore into shreds as a panel from his back opened and a row of missiles launched into the air destroying a section of the barbed wire and one of the Gatling guns to smithereens and setting off some of the underground explosives causing earth to be blown into the air.

"Crap." Bel leaped out of the way leaving Levi to be hit.

"NGYAAAAAAA!"

Gokudera coughed. "Is everyone alright?"

Dolly hummed pulling her shotgun in front of her. "On our side it seems."

"What the Hell is going on here!" Ryohei yelled.

"And he's attacking after his defeat." Ashlynn noted dryly as she and Hibari dove out of the projectiles paths. She sent a sharp look over to the group and happily saw that they had escaped without any injury. "If you don't mind too terribly Hibari-san, I'd like to unmask this sucker. If it's an actual robot there should be a control on him somewhere."

"Well, I tried to warn you." Xanxus drawled but since she was close enough Ashlynn found there was a slight tightness in his expression. She moved out of the way as even more missiles launched, an energy beam formed from the chest, and the fingers from the unbroken arm began firing rounds of bullets as Mosca flew around the area. "I came down here to retrieve him but I was obstructed by the Cloud Guardian. Now thanks to him, Mosca's restraining system has been broken."

"I call Bullshit!" Ashlynn growled but had to immediately push off from the ground when she heard the alarm from a land mine and into the range of the Gatling guns rounds.

"You mean its gone berserk!" Gokudera exclaimed.

Dolly stepped forward her gun aimed at the flying scrap of metal but cursed as she dove out of the way of another round of missiles. She held up her weapon aimed at the rockets that enabled the monstrosity of flight and fired. She glowered as it didn't deter it and took aim again until she ran out of rounds and cursed again returning the weapon back to its place on her back and retreated from another attack from the berserk Guardian.

Gokudera cursed as well "Shit!"

Ryohei agreed. "It's attacking everything at random! If we don't get out of here then we're going to end up dead!"

"Hahahaha! My, what a terrible disaster this is!" Xanxus laughed.

"He-he's laughing." Yamamoto breathed.

"That bastard!" Gokudera seethed. "He never cared about the battles from the very start! He just wanted to kill everyone and make it look like an accident! That's why he was provoking Hibari!"

Hibari growled low in his throat. 'You used me?'

Chrome, separated from her companions began running from the destruction, unknowingly onto the cloud ground until Ashlynn called out to her just as she heard a high pitched sound from beneath her last step.

"No, Chrome! Go back!"

The girl's eyes widened as two hands grabbed her arms and threw themselves away from the blast. "Ken, Chikusa...!"

Ken sighed irritably. "Just can't keep our eyes off you, stupid girl-"

He stopped as a Gatling gun swirled in their direction and Gola Mosca on the ground stamping towards them with the energy beam powering up before blasting at them for a direct hit.

"They're sandwiched in!" Dolly raised her voice.

"Fuck!" Ashlynn swore jumping through the smoke after setting off another landmine. The surrounding buildings and even the ground around them was either smoking or lit on fire from the random attacks. "I'm not going to make it to them in time!' She cursed again as she heard another telltale sound of the line mine went off but a slight misstep sent her propelled backwards and back within the thirty meter range and would have been mowed down by the rounds had Hibari not snatched her arm and hauled her away, repaying her for guarding his back.

The three Kokuyo members covered their heads and pressed as low to the ground as possible as a blast of orange light shot from a third side shielding the three from the onslaught of bullets and Mosca's attack.

Xanxus glowered. "That flame. Heh, so he finally showed up."

Chrome lifted her head from the ground looking up at the male now in front of them as he released the will from his gloved fists, a flame burning brightly at his brow. "B-Boss..."

"Juudaime!" Gokudera yelled.

"Chrome, Ken, Chikusa!" Ashlynn yelled from beside Hibari. "Get out of the field!"

The two males nodded grabbing both of the girl's arms and dragged her out of there mindful of any land mines, bullets, and rocket explosives.

"You are here but..." Xanxus smirked as another round of projectiles released from Mosca. He turned his attention to the berserking bot. "Eliminate everything starting with scum. That has not changed."

Tsuna's eyes narrowed as yet another wave of rockets were blown from Mosca's back. He brought the flame back into his hands and shot himself into the air using his flame to direct him and destroy the explosives before they could hit any of their marks.

"He's flying!" Yamamoto stared wide eyed in awe.

The boy dropped down from the sky falling faster with the use of his will, slamming his closed fist on the top of the metal head and tearing out the other mechanical arm. Tsuna dropped the wired limb and turned to the face the robot, not yet uttering a single word.

"N-no way!' Levi cried pulling himself off the ground.

The sensor from within the goggle lenses scanned the newly identified threat and changed his settings for total annihilation on the new target. The particle beam charged from its chest and fired at its new mark.

"Sawada!" Ryohei warned the boy as the shot fired from the bot's chest.

Tsuna merely flickered from view and out of the way of the blast that destroyed the ground where he had once stood and appearing suddenly in front of Gola Mosca and slamming his flaming fist in the very place that was charging for another attack, smashing it smoking back into the ground then flew back a few paces in case it got back up again.

"B-Boss!" Levi called. "What do we do now...Boss?"

"Yes!" Basil cheered announcing his and Reborn's presence as they jogged over to the group made up of Dolly, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei. "As expected from Lord Sawada! That Mechanical weapon is no match for him!"

"We can see that." Dolly asserted. "But there's something not right here..."

"You're right about that...Mosca could have fought and defeated Hibari at full strength and won the chance for Xanxus to fight against Tsuna for the Sky ring tomorrow night. He also could have taken the chance to eliminate everyone here too, but, why go through such a long roundabout way?" Reborn frowned grimly.

Tsuna turned to the grinning Varia Boss. "Xanxus...what is this all about?"

"Tsuna!" Ashlynn yelled as Mosca charged flailing at him for a last ditch effort. 'This is it!' Ashlynn swallowed. 'Everything is about to get shot to Hell...'

The boy raised his flaming gloved hand and in a swift chopping motion he cut through the metal of the robotic figure burning through its protective shell to the dark hollow hull within, forcing the broken machine to its knees. Ashlynn's face pinched darkly with anticipation as a hush took over everyone in the area as the tied up wizened body of a male tumbled out from the confines of wires and I.V.'s that ripped out of his wrinkled skin as he dropped directly at Tsuna's feet burns marking along the front of his chest.

"Y-you...you are..."

"There was someone inside the whole time!" Yamamoto exclaimed.

Basil gasped in horror. "That! That is Lord Kyuudaime! But why-! How did he-?"

Reborn gritted his teeth as he shot forward to the fallen Boss with a medical kit just as Tsuna fell to his own knees in shock.

"What...? What's going on...? Why was he in Mosca...?"

The Hitman gently patted the man's cheek. "Oi, hang in there...Che, I've seen... Mosca's construction only once. It looks like the Ninth Boss was forced to be Gola Mosca's source of power."

"Power source? You mean-!" Gokudera bit his lip at the implications of the action.

Tsuna croaked. "Why!"

"It's not 'Why?' is it! You've gone and killed the Ninth Boss." Xanxus looked down darkly at the boy.

He looked down at the mittens that had reverted back from the gloves. "...Me...? I did this...?" He whispered hoarsely.

Reborn cursed. "This is bad. It's not something I can treat with only a first aid box."

"No!" Tsuna cried.

"Who was it?" Xanxus continued. "Who struck down the old man without any mercy whatsoever? Who was it?" He asked his eyes trained on the now quivering junior high student. "Who split Gola Mosca in half with Timoteo inside?"

"N-no...I didn't...I-I...it was...me...I...was the one..."

"Tsuna!" Ashlynn yelled. "Tsuna stop!"

"This is my fault...I...I killed him...it's all my fault."

"No..." The man breathed unsteadily but his eyes staring firmly up at the boy. Timoteo spoke again. "The one at fault here...is me..."

"K-Kyuudaime!" Tsuna gasped.

The man offered a small smile despite his injuries as Reborn set to removing the restraints. "We finally meet again...in person...young Tsunayoshi. I'm sorry...I'm sorry that because of...my weakness...My weakness that allowed Xanxus...to wake from his long sleep..."

"What do you mean by 'long sleep'?" Reborn's face was grim. "After the cradle affair, Xanxus was cast out of the Family and kept under strict surveillance of the Vongola, correct?"

Tsuna looked at the hitman confused. "C-cradle affair?"

"It took place eight years ago...It was the largest coup d'état in Vongola history. Because the rebellion was led by Xanxus, the Ninth's son, the truth of the matter was treated with the utmost secrecy. The only ones that knew are the Family's upper Echelon and the Vongola's highest elite who fought in that battle..."

Timoteo nodded his head. "Xanxus was stopped...and since then he had been asleep...while his hatred and grudge grew to frightening proportions..."

"What-? What does that mean?" Tsuna whispered. 'I...I don't understa-! Kyuudaime!" Tsuna cried as the man feebly turned on his side to cough, droplets of blood hacked out of his throat, staining his lips and chin.

"Tsunayoshi..."The old Boss said quietly his eyes clenched shut. "I have...been hearing news of you from...Reborn...about the girl you like...and about your school, and...The friends you've made...You have a heart...that is really mismatched for a Mafia Boss..." Timoteo opened his eyes, smiling, as he lifted his hand to the boys' forehead; a soft light of his will flaming on the digit as he spoke. "I also know that up to this point you have not entered a battle willingly. You always have these lines between your brows...clenched fists as if you were praying...And that is why...I chose you to be the Tenth Generation Boss."

'X-Xanxus...wasn't actually chosen...?' Tsuna wondered shocked. 'This...Kyuudaime's Dying Will flame...it's warm...and nostalgic...Nostalgic...? I...'Tears began forming in his eyes as Timoteo dropped his hand limply to the ground. "I...I know you...Kyuudaime...you came to the house once when I was really little...'

"I am glad." Timoteo breathed closing his eyes again. "That I was able to meet you again...Tsunayoshi..."

"W-wait! Kyyudaime!" Tsuna cried grabbing at the man's hand, the flame that had touched his head slowly dissipating. "Kyyudaime, please hang on!"

"How dare you..."

"Seanathair..." Ashlynn whispered. 'What...? What am I supposed to do?'

"HOW DARE YOU KILL THE NINTH?" Xanxus roared making Tsuna look up at the older male with tears running from his eyes. Xanxus glared down at him. "That despicable way in which you struck him down, is a direct challenge his own son, Xanxus, as well as the noble Vongola spirit!"

"Wh-what?" Tsuna sniffled.

"No need for investigations! The burns on the Ninth's chest are undeniable! Now that the Ninth Boss is murdered by this upstart, the ring contest battle is meaningless! For the Boss, my father, and for the continued future of the Vongola Family." Xanxus held up his pat of the Sky ring. "I will kill you as vengeance."

"What-?" Gokudera choked out, shaking himself from their stupor. "What the Hell did you just say? He wants to what!"

Reborn looked down. "So that's what you aimed for from the beginning. If you won the ring battles and became the next Boss; those who remembered the cradle incident would object to the succession and would continue to oppose you. But if you trapped Tsuna into the role of the villain, and attacked the Ninth's enemy in a battle of revenge, that's makes an entire different matter. It wouldn't matter what any of us here would say because it wouldn't be believed and thus you would garner the trust and loyalty of the majority of the Family. And if he could prove himself stronger than Tsuna, who was set to be the next Boss, it would be further proof that he was the better choice as the heir. In that case he could easily eliminate anyone who dared to oppose him."

"Then, Xanxus planned to become the Boss and orchestrated a dictatorship at the same time!" Basil gasped.

"Yes." The Arcobaleno affirmed. "It was all a well laid out trap. Mosca was supposed to kill all of Tsuna's Guardians in an accident. When that happened Xanxus knew that Tsuna would be lured here to take it down in retaliation."

"How could he...for something like that...?" Tsuna swallowed thickly, gripped the fabric at his knees his face lowered to his chest.

"Please refrain from speaking such wild conjectures out loud Reborn." The Cervello spoke up. "We will officially record everything that has been spoken."

"That means-!" Yamamoto yelled.

Gokudera snarled. "I knew it! The Cervello have been working for Xanxus since the beginning!"

"Do whatever you want." Reborn directed his words at the two masked women, his hat shading the upper part of his face. "But my patience has run out."

The two Cervello froze.

"However I will honor my promise to Don Timoteo and not interfere...with my students' battle that is. Having said that, I don't know what my student, who hates fighting, will do..."

Tsuna looked up again standing back on his feet. "Xanxus. I will take that ring. I won't allow you to follow the Ninth's footsteps!"

"Fnn." Reborn's formed into a small but proud smirk. "Well said, Tsuna."

Xanxus shook his head, almost amused by the bravado. "Heh, is that so? I'll carve your name into the Vongola books: as the foolish runt that dared to defy Xanxus all by his little pathetic self.

"He's not alone!" Gokudera declared brandishing his dynamite between his fingers as the other Guardians readied their own weapons; Yamamoto drawing his blade, Ryohei clenching his good fist, Chrome spinning her trident in front of her, and Ashlynn raising her chakrams in front of her body. "The Boss's will is our will."

"My will is my own." Hibari growled. Ashlynn's lips twitched but managed to keep a straight face due to the dire stand-off that was happening.

"You want some of this you runts!" Levi reached for the umbrellas strapped to his back. Glaring at each of them in turn.

"Ushishishi." Bel laughed, knives appearing in his hands. "The Prince is ready to play again~."

Xanxus nodded, ordering his men. "Exterminate the traitors."

"Hold it right there, please." The Cervello intervened. "We will be in charge of the battle for the Ninth Boss' revenge."

"What!" Ryohei exclaimed

"Why should we trust you?" Gokudera seethed. "You've been working with him all this time you bitch!"

One of the women held up the message that contained the stamp of Timoteo's Dying will. "Please watch your mouth. We have the official decree from the Godfather himself. Any changing-of-hands of the rings will not be approved without our ratification."

"You've got some nerve!" Basil objected. "You forced Lord Timoteo against his will to give you that decree!"

The women did not react to the accusation but continued on. "The winner of this battle will become the next Boss of the Vongola so..." The women nodded at one another. "We declare this the Sky ring battle. In other words this is the final battle of the ring battle contest. How does that sound, Lord Xanxus?"

The man smirked. "Not a bad idea."

"Then tomorrow night we shall hold the battle here at Nami Junior."

"Heh, looks like the fake got a suspended sentence." Bel grinned.

"Watch it, Asshole!" Gokudera growled. Yamamoto and Ryohei nodded.

"Pffft. Looks like tomorrow will be the finale of this happy comedy. Make sure you're ready for it, trash." Xanxus grinned savagely raising his hand, calling his will, clenching it in his fist. The light burst blinding everyone and when it disappeared he, Levi, Bel, and the Cervello women were gone.

"They're gone! Those ladies too!" Ryohei lowered his fist.

"Lord Timoteo!" Basil broke through the cloud ring without any of the remaining Gatling guns or landmines setting off. He kneeled beside Reborn in front of the fallen male.

"Are we too late?"

Tsuna looked up shocked as Dino ran forward, a large group of his men following closely after. After a split moment's observation of the field and the people in it he started barking orders. "Quickly! Get to the Ninth Boss and anyone injured! Put out the fires and make sure that those guns are disabled!"

"Sir!"

The men and women swiftly moved to follow their Boss' will, a small group breaking off to transport the Ninth off campus while others turned off and took apart what was left of the Cloud Ground and extinguished the fires from the earlier explosions.

Dino stood next to Reborn, Basil, and Dolly with a grim look "I had just heard news from the CEDEF team in Italy...I...didn't think it would have come to this. Everyone- are you alright?"

The hitman hummed. "The damage we received was quite substantial but...

Ashlynn tore her eyes away from where Timoteo had been carted off and sighed pulling her chakrams back into bracelets around her wrists. 'I'm sorry Seanathair...I didn't do anything useful to help you tonight...'

"Are you guys okay? Ashlynn? Hibari?" Yamamoto jogged over to them. Gokudera and Ryohei followed but stopped a short distance away from 'crowding'.

Gokudera tilted his head. "For you to be so restrained even when..."

The prefect snorted jerking his head to where Tsuna was standing with his back to them staring at the smoke billowing from the ashes of the extinguished flames. "If this situation can draw out that herbivores true strength, I won't interfere just yet."

'Tsuna...' Ashlynn bit her lip. He...looked so...lost. Just staring out into the ruined field...Until she saw Reborn bounding to the unaware boy and the baby hitman jumped into the air and kicked the boy in the middle of the back making him squeal in surprise. She shook her head. 'Well, that's one way to snap him out of it...'

"It's time to go home now, Tsuna; before Maman finds out we've been gone from the house at this time of night. And you need to get recharged for tomorrow night's battle."

Tsuna reached behind him rubbing at whatever was within his reach, not much, but he tried anyway as he whined. "Why do you always have to kick me?"

"Because I'm really vexed right now." Came the reply from his tutor.

"What kind of a reason is that?" Tsuna argued hotly. "And- and if you're angry why take it out on me?"

'There is still hope, Tsuna.' She thought waving to the others as she followed Dolly's lead off campus. 'You don't know it...but I do...I just wish there was something more that I could do without causing drastic changes...and for that, I'm sorry. I hope I can do better for you...'

* * *

><p><strong> Italian Translation (in order):<strong>

**"Allora?**" = "Well?"

**"Anche così, Romario, voglio che stanotte pronto per ogni evenienza"** = "Even so, Romario, I want him ready tonight just in case."

**"Non c'è stato alcun cambiamento, ma, in ogni caso questo è tutto ciò che possiamo fare in questo momento "** = "There hasn't been any changes, but, in any case this is all that we can do at this time"

**"Lo so! Ma perché questo lavoro abbiamo bisogno di essere in grado di muoversilui da questa sera al più tardi, a mezzogiorno al più presto!**" = I know! But for this to work we need to be able to move him by tonight at the latest, by noon at the earliest!

**Calmati faccia imbronciata** = "Calm down sulky face."

**"Che cosa mi hai chiamato!" **= "What did you call me!"

**"Abbiamo già perso la battaglia. Se mostriamo ogni azione ostile contro di loro sisarà preso come ammutinamento contro l'erede in carica decimo. Avranno le nostre teste per ribellione insieme con il capo."** = "We've already lost the battle. If we show any hostile action against them it will be taken as mutiny against the incumbent Tenth heir. They'll have our heads for rebellion along with boss.

**"Vuoi dire che dovremmo permettere che questa insolenza di continuare?"** = "You mean that we should just allow this insolence to continue?"

**"Beh, il nostro capo intrigante sembra avere qualcosa nella manica. Io certamente non ne ho idea ... ma Squalo o Mammona avrebbe potuto conoscere."** = "Well, our scheming Boss seems to have something up his sleeve. I certainly don't have any idea...but Squalo or Mammon might have known."

**Cambio da energia principale a energia. Se controllo non possible irruzione in zono bersaglio cattura nemico attaco! Distruzione totale.** = Change from primary energy to energy. If control is not possible to break into the occupied zone, target capture enemy attack! Total destruction

/-/-/-/-/

"Not leaving until I beat the crap out of the Monkey King." Every time I read this line I start giggling~


	22. Chapter 22

**muuuyuyuyu:** "can we just make this ashlynn/everyone?". Sorry but no. I'm trying to make each character's interactions with Ashlynn grow into something but not everyone of them will develop into something intimate. Ashlynn is not in the KHR universe solely to create a harem of smexy Bishies :p. There would be a lot of fighting over one female and that's not the kind of drama I want in this story. If it was a triangle I would understand but...the remaining men still in the running are the extremely competitive ones and that would lead only into disaster.

But here is a concession for you; if at the very end of this poll, that if two are tied in first place and everyone says they want those two with Ashlynn then I'll do it. But I will not go above that number. A threesome is stretching it and any more would be asking for trouble (not to mention that it's be really hard to write...)

**LunaticSheep**: Regarding Chrome: Mukuro and Ashlynn are the two people she can expect to care for her in some sort of fashion. Ashlynn because she stayed with Chrome, stood up to her parents and offered comfort; There is also the fact that Ashlynn vouches for her to the rest of the Family. Mukuro because he saw potential in her, created illusions so she could continue living, and all that good stuff that makes her hero worship him. As it is, Chrome is just happy that: At best Mukuro and Ashlynn enjoy each other's company somewhat by the way they tease. And at the worst, well, at least they are civil with another.

Yes, there will be times where Ashlynn doesn't have knowledge of the events. She's more familiar with the Manga events than the anime ones but even so; that is a lot to remember and as time goes on she will be less likely to remember. Anime fillers will also throw her off, especially the future battle ones. So far it is planned that she definitely has knowledge of the Simon Arc and the beginning of the Arcobaleno Arc but that may be subjected to change.

**sourapple2000: **I'm glad that you are enjoying the story so far, hun~

**And here you go Fanboys and Girls~ The results of the Top Ten Poll:**

Hibari in the lead with 54 votes

Reborn following closely after with 50

Dino with 32

Mukuro with 31

and Xanxus with 28

Now, I'll be waiting a while before I put up the Top Five Poll (at the very least a few chapters into the Future Arc). Yes, there will be another poll to cut the numbers down again; (like I've said in a review) there is potential relationship growth for all the people that Ashlynn meets. Whether that relationship stays platonic or grows to either just friendship, seeing each other as siblings, or further onto something more intimate...Well, that's still yet to be seen.

My reasoning:

1) In the mafia, I believe staying alive is a bit more important than one's love life or lack of one. Remind yourselves that Ashlynn (along with Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Ryohei of growing core Family) have lead a purely civilian life before canon started.

2) You may change your mind on the pairing you'd like the most. This is giving you a chance vote again. Simple as that.

3) It's also making it a surprise and it keeps you interested in the final result, no?

There's another piece of fan art for Caomhnoir! Mosey on over to my profile for the link to the picture (Of a gender-bended Ashlynn :D) made by **Kurohanefuyu**. Should go check it out and give lots of love to this wonderful person~!

I believe that I have started a trend: There are a lot of new stories here on that feature a character from our world being hit by a car and waking up in a hospital in the KHR universe~

One last note before we move on. With the concession that I've given you I have decided to have the next poll open. Meaning, you'll be able to see the results one you vote. But since there are some who do not have an account on here who have voted through reviews I'll just add the tallies and post them before each chapter (After each installment I'll remove the results from the previous pages. Just like I've removed the poll choices from the very first chapter.)

And now onwards to the story~!

* * *

><p><strong>I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious." <strong>

**- **Vince Lombardi****

****Perhaps the distant part of the sky always seems clearest, so that we will always strive to reach it.****

****- Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)****

* * *

><p><em>Thirteen years earlier...<em>

_"Ashlynn, Iníon, why did you want that hat so badly?" Cliodhna questioned her eldest daughter. A week ago while they were packing up for the new house, Ashlynn had come home from playing outside with a little request._

_Her sweet baby girl wanted a hat._

_And it was not just any ordinary hat. It had to be a specific one. One that her daughter didn't know the name of so it took a good while of Ashlynn becoming increasingly frustrated as she tried to explain what she wanted with grand gestures and drawing pictures that did more to confuse her mother instead of helping her._

_Cliodhna had gotten to her wits end and was more than relieved when her husband came home a day later and she asked her sulking daughter to explain to her father what she wanted._

_"It was black and it had an orange band around it and, and at the top it was pushed in like this." Ashlynn demonstrated the supposed shape of the hat with her tiny hands then showed off her crayon drawings to her father._

_"Hmmm," Cayden scratched his chin. "...A fedora? Is that what you want, Princess?"_

_Ashlynn scrunched up her nose. "...I think so..."_

_"Was it a part of an outfit?"_

_"What?"_

_"You saw someone wearing it right?" He asked patiently._

_His daughter bobbed her head. "Uh-huh."_

_"What else was this person wearing?"_

_"A black suit and shiny black shoes. He wore a dark red shirt and a dark blue tie. He also had a cool pet lizard that changed colors."_

_"That's a chameleon not a regular lizard, Iníon." Cayden frowned thoughtfully. 'She saw someone who was dressed like a mafia gangster? Going to have to keep a better eye on her if she sees someone like this at a public park. But then again, it could have been just a costume. Kids like to role play and all that nowadays...'_

_"Athair?" Ashlynn questioned._

_He smiled tugging gently on the girl's pigtail. "It sounds like you're talking about a fedora but let's see if Athair can find a picture of it and you can tell me if it's the right thing or not, okay?"_

_"Kay!"_

_Not a whole day after that, Ashlynn was proudly wearing her brand new black fedora with a bright orange ribbon tied around the base. It was adorable, Cliodhna decided, but there was still the mystery of why Ashlynn had wanted it in the first place and she couldn't help her curiosity._

_The almost five year old child looked up from her spot on the living room floor with her doll where she was coloring a picture of two men, one very tall and extremely skinny while the other was short and portly, both in lime green colored suits being beaten by a brown haired boy in shorts. She tapped the brim of the fedora then lowered her head to shadow the top portion of her face in an imitation of a certain hitman._

_"I saw a baby with one." Came the cryptic answer. "He was cool."_

_Cliodhna blinked as Ashlynn returned her attention back to her picture. 'A baby?'_

* * *

><p>A grand total of two and a half hours was how long she was able to sleep before suddenly shooting up into a sitting position in bed, her hands, face and the back of her neck clammy and sweaty from yet another night terror. Her heart pounding faster as her mind's eye showed her the remnants of her dream. Her breathing became faster as she started to see grotesque faces pointing accusingly at her in the shadows of her bedroom.<p>

'Monster!' they cried damning the actions she would make in the future. 'Murderer! Fiend! Heartless witch!'

"Miss Ashlynn? Miss Ashlynn, are you alright?"

She cowered back onto her pillows eyes staring wide in the abyss of the dark room. Her mind mercilessly showing her the images of the dead; deformed visions wailing as they slithered through the expanse of her bedroom. They mocked her. The condemned her for the deeds she had yet to perform for the sake of the Family. They cried vengeance against her, scratching against the floors, walls and the posts of her bed, they scoffed at the guilt she felt and the fear that swallowed her voice. 'Sorry? You're not sorry. Not sorry at all~.' They chanted as they gathered closer and closer. 'If you were then you wouldn't have gone and gotten yourself involved. You don't really care what happens to them do you?'

"Miss Ashlynn!"

She jumped at the soft tiny hand pressed firmly against her cheek. Fon. He was kneeling beside her head with worry. He reached his hand higher to smooth the creases between her eyebrows and waited patiently for her to regain her breathing to its normal state.

"Fon?" She said shakily.

"Let's go to kitchen, Miss Ashlynn. Some tea will help."

She nodded swallowing her terror and followed the Arcobaleno out of the bedroom, turning on the lights on her way to the kitchen where Fon sat her down and went to make tea for them. It was silent for a while as they waited for the water to boil. Fon merely waited as Ashlynn sat at the island counter staring at the marks on her hands.

Finally Fon spoke. "Miss Keiko told me about the dream yesterday. Was it the same tonight?"

Ashlynn looked up from her hands. "More or less..."

"You are not a monster, Miss Ashlynn." Fon declared taking the kettle off the heat. "The very fact that you are afraid of becoming one speaks of your humanity. It is okay to be scared, Miss Ashlynn.

She shrugged neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.

Fon put a steaming cup in within reach of her hands. "I am not sure why you are having a delayed reaction to this; which explains why you slept soundly the first night, just like you had when we first started training for these battles. But it is not healthy for you to bottle this up, Miss Ashlynn."

"I know, it's just-. No." She murmured grasping the cup and feeling the warmth seep into her palms and fingers. She took a few sips from the glass when it cooled down enough for her to drink without burning herself. "I can't. Not yet...I-"

The Arcobaleno sighed this time. He tapped her hands motioning for her to set the cup back down and out of the way then grasped her hands in his own little ones. "You are a strong, confident, young lady, Miss Ashlynn,"

"Fon..."

His smile was small and comforting. "Let it go, Miss Ashlynn. It is not a shameful thing to be afraid. It does not make you weak if you cry. "

She closed her eyes. Her lips trembled. Her shoulders shook. Her breathing became unsteady by the dam of emotion cracking into bits. She hadn't even realized until now how much she had pushed away in favor of putting a strong front for the others to lean on her if they needed. She was the eldest one out of the Guardians if one didn't count the fact that Mukuro remembered going to Hell six times. She liked that they depended on her, that they found her reliable, useful despite only training seriously to be inducted into the mafia for about a year give or take. She knew it was only an excuse, a petty one even. But…

"It's alright." He squeezed her hands.

She sobbed bowing her head over their hands. "I...I'm tired of this! It's h-hardly the beginning and I'm already tired of all of this! A-and I have no idea what the fuck I'm supposed to do-! Lal, in the future- she said not to b-bother joining the Family if I couldn't handle it...But! I can't abandon them now! I-I can't do that to Th-them!" She cried.

She let the tears fall for the loss of the future she might have had with her family if she hadn't died and come here, the future she would have had if she just didn't get herself involved in the first place, then cried even more for even thinking that because then she would have never got to actually meet those who she would now call her Family even if they were not related by blood. She let the tears fall; in sadness, fear, gratitude, and hope until she was emotionally spent, leaning tiredly against the island counter, her hands still clasped with Fon's.

"I won't do that to them. Ever." She swore.

Fon inclined his head at her conviction. "And you won't."

She nodded, happy that he believed her, lifting her head back and let go of his hands. "Thank you, Fon." She managed blinking back the weariness.

"You are welcome, Miss Ashlynn. Do you think you can make it through the remainder of the night alright?

Ashlynn mumbled an affirmative scooping him up and returning back to the room not bothering with the barely touched tea or the kitchen lights that were still on.

* * *

><p>'Weird.' Ashlynn thought as she came up the road to school in her uniform after she waved goodbye to Fon for the day. 'It kind of feels like I just had a Fall break and now I'm coming back for the start of the new quarter. Though I don't know why I came I the first place since today is Saturday and there's no school tomorrow...Maybe I shouldn't have bothered coming.'<p>

"Ashlynn!"

She turned back down the road and ran back part of the way she came as Ran was running up the other end and the two had a near collision of bodies and school bags thanks to Ran tripping right in front of her. Ashlynn giggled offering her hand to help her friend back on her feet.

It was taken but the other girl gasped standing on her own and pulling Ashlynn's hands into her own and lightly tracing the slight scaring in the palms, inspecting the lines that had been engraved into the skin. "What happened?"

"I was working with wire making another set of bracelets and I, stupidly enough, was next to an electrical socket. It got me twice before I managed to let go of the damn thing. Thankfully Dolly was there when it happened. One of the times I'm really grateful that she goes through the trouble of checking up on me every once in a while." Ashlynn explained though felt a stab of guilt in her stomach at the lie.

Ran made a soft noise in her throat but otherwise did not comment on the authenticity of the story but looked down worriedly at the marks.

Ashlynn lightly tugged her limbs back, startling the other girl back to the present. She tilted her head touching the bottom strands of Ran's hair that was now just a few inches short of her shoulders. "You are growing it out? It's cute."

"Un!" Ran smiled then gasped as the bells from the school rang signaling that there were only five minutes for them to get on and across campus and up to the second floor for their first class. "Quick run!" She cried and only a few moments she whined when Ashlynn was gaining more speed. "Not so fast! I can't run as fast as you~!"

Ashlynn slowed her pace by a few steps to put her in sync with Ran as they passed through the gates towards the building. "Sorry!"

"Come on! Make it, make it!" Ran panted running up the steps.

"Safe!" The two barreled through the open door, stopping in their tracks barely managing to keep themselves upright. Ashlynn was fine, controlling her breathing but Ran was bent over panting with a slight sheen of sweat on her face from the trek. The teacher sighed pressing a hand to her temples.

Ran scratched the back of her head. "We made it, right?"

The teacher nodded. "Go sit down." She nodded again when Ashlynn stopped to hand over a packet of paperwork before moving to take her seat. The woman turned around and pulled the projector screen up to reveal a passage written on the chalkboard. "This is your writing prompt for the day:

'Remember youth as you pass by,

As you was once, so once was I,

As I am now, you soon will be,

Prepare to die and follow me

-Epitaph on a warlock grave'

What I want you to do is write down what you perceive this to mean, what is the intent of the message then write what your plans are for your death. How your body will be disposed of, will you be put into a grave or an urn within your closet kin's home? Would you donate your body to science? What would have written as your epitaph?"

One of the boys in the back raised his hand. "How long should this be?"

"Give me two pages minimum due first thing Monday morning." She ignored any groans of disappointment. "I really want you to think about this so you'll have the entirety of the class to work on this and you can talk and work among yourselves, but if the noise level gets too high then you'll work by yourselves in silence. You may begin."

Ashlynn frowned thoughtfully at her notebook as Ran snagged the now empty seat next to her. 'This seems a little coincidental...Ran just got back from her Aunt's funeral...and I run the risk of dying tonight...You'd think that schoolwork would get my mind off of dying...'

"So, what do you think?" Ran asked a bit somber and more than a little bitter about the assignment, her earlier good mood gone. "A morbid start to the first day back from attending a funeral and a will reading." She sighed tapping her pen against the page. "My family has always been buried on another island so that's where my body will end up being buried at. I have that but not sure what I'd have on a gravestone if I have one anyway. What are you thinking?"

Ashlynn fiddled with the pen in her fingers. "I'd have the traditional Wake ceremony..." She gave a small grin at the look of astonishment mixed with confusion on the other girl's face.

"There is a secret tradition to make you come back to life to finish anything you left unfinished? Would you be a ghost or a vampire... or a zombie?" Ran gasped.

Ashlynn poked her pen in the middle of Ran's forehead. "I am not going to be turned into the undead. Basically, believe it or not, it's a party that is held in the home of the diseased where you celebrate that person's life on the night of the burial."

"Um, that sounds-"

"Yeah, I know." Ashlynn agreed. "But I would rather you celebrate my life rather than mourn my death."

Ran blinked. "Isn't that what birthdays are for?"

Ashlynn mulled over the thought a moment then laughed. "Ha ha, you have a point. But this would be a post-life party that would go late into the night and actually last from two to three days."

"So how does that work?"

Ashlynn put the pen to paper. "The body would be prepared in the home of the person; you know best clothes, flowers and ribbons. There would be tobacco where every male caller would be expected to take a puff from so that the smoke would keep spirits from finding the soul of the deceased. Um, Mirrors would be covered, clocks would be stopped at time of death, all the blinds would be closed save for one in the room where the body is laid out, people would kiss the person if they weren't disfigured before being covered... then at the end of the Wake and on the way to a cemetery, or wherever the person instructed as the final resting place, the procession would stop if they pass by the dead's home or place of work. There's other stuff, but that's what I can remember from the top of my head."

"Hmmm, you have a really good memory, Ashlynn. I can hardly remember what I ate for dinner last month."

"I guess." She shrugged. "I'd like the Wake, but I think I'd also like to be cremated."

Ran looked up from her own page. "What? Seriously?"

"Yeah," Ashlynn shrugged. "I could change my mind of course further on, but it seems like it'd be less than a hassle for everyone. And I could have my ashes be made into something, you know? Like a piece of jewelry, stained glass, or even a wind chime or something symbolic like that."

"Well, I don't really have any traditions to have when I die. I think it'd just be something simple: prepare my body then stick me into the ground." Ran blew at her bangs. "We kind of worked backwards on this thing. Weren't we supposed to write what we thought of the poem thing?"

Ashlynn shrugged. "It doesn't matter so long as we finish it, right?"

"I guess..."

"…"

Ran placed her pen down and leaned her chin on her hand. "I'm still stuck on the thought that it was a Warlock and that you want to be cremated."

"Pffft." Ashlynn snorted.

"What?" Ran smiled. "It's a Warlock! That's pretty cool. Hey, hey Ashlynn, I know what I want to be out of high school."

"And that would be?" She asked. She had a feeling she knew what the answer was going to be.

"I am going to become a Warlock...or would it be a Warlockess?"

"Ha!"

"Hey, I'm being serious!"

Ashlynn grinned grabbing a water bottle out of her bag. "And what would be your title oh Mighty Warlock?"

Ran hummed thoughtfully as Ashlynn took a gulp. "I shall from this moment forth be called Ranizzle."

Ashlynn choked on her laughter nearly spurting water out of her nose.

"Hee hee. See how you tremble in the might of the great Warlock Ranizzle!" Ran spoke triumphantly ignoring the incredulous looks from the groups closest to them.

Ashlynn snickered wiping her face with her hand. "How is that a Warlock name? All you did was add 'izzle' to the end of yours!"

"I found it online. You know those things where it gives you a new name or a sentence out of your birthday? Well, this one said gangster names and it told me to add izzle so I added izzle. And now I have a fear-inspiring name!"

"Fear from laughing to death when they hear it. Hmmmm...Ashizzle...I don't know, doesn't sound very impressive as yours Great and Powerful Ranizzle..."

Ran shrugged grinning at the flattering words on her Warlock gangster name. "What about Lynnizzle?"

"Hunh, I like it." She smiled

"Then we shall be the Mighty Warlock Ranizzle and, um, the Valkyrie Lynnizzle! Cause you're Irish..."

Ashlynn shook her head. "Right idea, but Valkyrie's a Norse myth. Think the Morrigan or the Fair Folk."

"That too."

"Hiraoka-san, Meagher-san!" The teacher called. "Work more quietly please or work by yourselves."

"Hai! Sorry!" Ran apologized nudging Ashlynn lightly with her elbow and receiving one in return.

At moments it seemed things were back to where it was before Ran left for the funeral and Ashlynn herself was absent in preparation for the ring battles. But there were also times, many, that Ashlynn noticed a somber tiredness from the other girl. It wasn't too surprising of course and she understood that it took time to grieve. She knew that very well. But there was something else...there was the fact that Ran didn't want to let her out of sight. Again, not surprising but that wasn't it. She just couldn't find the right words to describe it. And she had spent nearly the entire day working to keep with the class (she actually found herself a lesson or two ahead of a few of them. Reborn's doing again she figured) and trying to work up the nerve to ask what Ran was planning on doing now.

Ran shrugged as they walked down the stairs to the cubby lockers to switch their inside shoes for their outside ones when school was let out for the day. "I'm still staying at the house here in Namimori. Aunty made sure that if anything ever happened to her...I would have something to fall back on. So the house is now mine, completely paid off and only needs payments for its upkeep which I am more than able to do...I have a few friends in the town next over that have offered for me to stay with them...but I'm going to go through the things in this house starting this weekend..."

"Do you need help?" Ashlynn asked as they stopped just out of the gates, to the side so they weren't in anyone's way.

Ran leaned against the surrounding wall and looked up at the clouds in the sky. "No, I should really do it on my own."

"You sure?"

"The offer is tempting but yeah, I'm sure. Thanks though. I'm going to go on ahead and try to make a start on it now, see ya~"

"Ja." Ashlynn waved to her turned back as the girl walked away. She hummed to herself as her feet carried her halfway to her apartment before her phone went off playing a small music box melody, Keiko's name flashing on the screen. "Hello?"

"Honeybun~! Are you out of school yet?"

"Yeah, just on the way home, what's up?"

"I have something special for you so if you'd come over sometime today before you leave for the scramble battle~"

Ashlynn smiled turning a right towards the shop. "Hm, I'll come over right now."

"You don't have to if you're already on the way home dear. I could have it sent over really quick if you'd like?"

"Nah, that's okay. I already changed my route. I'll see you in about five to seven minutes, Boss Lady."

Keiko giggled over the phone. "I can't wait to see you then, dear!"

"I'll hurry then. See you in a few." Ashlynn picked up her pace to the bakery, shutting off the phone when Keiko bid her a safe few minute travel. She nodded to a few of the shopkeepers on the way knowing a few from a couple errands for Keiko and offered a wave and smile to Yamamoto-san when she passed the sushi restaurant.

"Alright, here it is~!" Keiko waved to the box with a flourish when Ashlynn appeared in the doorway of her office at the bakery. "Come in! Come in and open it! I want to see your reaction!"

Ashlynn pushed off from leaning against the open door and reached for the long but thin white box lying innocently on the desk. Inside the box within the many sheets of colored tissue paper was a plain, dark red Chinese styled top with belled sleeves, black baggy pants, and black flats. She hummed interested at the now pouting woman. "These are for me?"

Keiko sighed. "That was not the reaction I was hoping for~! You were supposed to gasp or something and be really happy!"

"I am happy." Ashlynn fingered the soft material and a thought came to mind. "Ha-ha, I'll match Fon with this!"

"That was the idea, dear." Keiko explained. "I was going to give it to you for your match but there was a little mistake in the hemming. It used be longer but now the bottom should reach about mid-thigh."

"It's pretty."

"Why don't you go ahead and try it on. And oh! Let me braid your hair too! That'll be so adorable!"

* * *

><p>"Looks like our opponent is already geared to go." Reborn surveyed the area with a critical eye.<p>

Tsuna stared at the Varia Boss a ways away from where he stood. "Xanxus..."

"We've been expecting you." The Cervello jumped off the main building of the school in the middle point of the distance between Xanxus and Tsuna and his Guardians.

"The Guardians for Sawada's side..." The second woman observed those in attendance. "Storm, Rain, Sun, Cloud and Mist are all accounted for."

"Aa! Dokuro!" Ryohei pointed to the girl as she pushed off the side of the building and came closer but still stayed a good ten feet away from the group.

Hibari crossed his arms and glared at the group.

The Cervello continued. "That leaves the Guardian of Lightning."

"Who is here, thank you." Ashlynn called to the women as she and Dolly strolled over to the group. Reborn smirked.

"Principessa..." Chrome murmured.

"M'Lady!" Basil greeted.

Yamamoto laughed tugging lightly on one of the two braids Frenched tightly against her scalp. "You're matching the little guy that was there for your match! The one that looked like a little Hibari~!"

She nodded smiling. Just as Keiko had said the dark Chinese style top reached her mid-thigh, and the belled sleeves reached over her arm guards comfortably. And the gun strapped to her thigh didn't her any problems with the baggy pants. If anything she was a little more worried about stepping out of the black flats but they had yet to do so. "It was Keiko's idea." She explained. "Said that she was going to surprise me with it on the day of my battle but it wasn't ready. Dolly here was laughing at me too when we met to come here."

"You even got your hair braided." Reborn pointed.

"He told Dolly that he'd be here tonight after he helps Dino for a bit." She looked down at her clothes. "He better appreciate the sentiment..." She trailed off to look over at Ryohei who had the headband that matched Colonello's then to Tsuna who was dressed normally in his school uniform.

Tsuna jumped a little at the sudden stare. "Ashlynn?"

"If it wasn't for the fact that it'd probably get dirty of fall off you should have worn a fedora to match Reborn." Ashlynn nodded to the fedora that Reborn was wearing.

"E-Eh?"

"You're the only one not matching your Arcobaleno tutor. I've got the whole Chinese ensemble going on and Ryohei's got the headband...poor Reborn" She said sympathetically to the hitman. "I would have worn a hat to match you."

"Thank you Ashlynn. A hat would have been a good idea but you're right, it would have fallen off. Too bad Tsuna was so against wearing a suit."

"There's still Dino if he ever decides to show up."

Reborn nodded agreeably to the suggestion.

"It looks nice on you, M'Lady." Basil complimented. Dolly smothered a smirk with her hand.

"Thank you Basil. Though I almost ripped the shirt on the way here because the Cervello are freaking ninjas." She grumbled.

"Ninjas?" Tsuna sputtered. "You mean that they went looking for you today?"

Chrome spoke up but not very loudly. "The Cervello women...they said that all the Guardians had to come..."

"That is correct." The pink haired woman nodded. "All the Guardians who are still alive were sent a compulsory summons."

"A summons?" Tsuna murmured.

Reborn tapped his hat. "Those guys are here too." He nodded to Bel and Levi, the larger man holding a cage that held Mammon inside.

"Oh~ Please be more gentle with me~~! You're handling a critical patient!"

Ryohei gasped turning around to see one of the Cervello woman pushing Lussuria restrained upright in a hospital bed. "Lussuria! Wow, you're alive!"

"They even brought his bed along..." Yamamoto observed as the woman rolled the man over to the other Varia Guardians.

"It does not matter what the condition the Guardian is in when the summons is issued. If they are still alive then it is mandatory for them to show up. For the Sky battle the rings and the lives of the Guardians are at stake here."

"'The Guardians lives are at stake'? What do you mean by that?" Tsuna demanded.

"It means exactly what it means~." Lussuria called. "Once the summons was received, no matter what condition we are in or what we are doing at the time, we have to assemble. That is the duty of a Guardian!

Mammon nodded agreeably from his little prison. "Exactly. I am also hoping that Boss's anger has been appeased and that I have a chance to aid him."

"Ushishishi, how nicely put~. We only caught you instead of killing you, so don't try to smooth talk here, Mammon." Bel smirked.

Yamamoto bit his lip. "Wait! What about Squalo? Isn't he-?

The Cervello stared back at him eerily. "You know very well what the outcome of the rain battle was, Yamamoto Takeshi. We are unable to confirm Superbi Squalo's current status. Now then...let us begin the battle."

"What? But we haven't even clarified the rings-!" Tsuna protested.

"If you do not want to start then you will be disqualified." The masked woman stated. "And Lord Xanxus will officially be given possession of the rings."

Tsuna yelled. "That's not what I meant!"

"Bitch." Gokudera accused sourly.

"Very well, then we shall start by collecting all of the Guardians rings. We already have the Lightning ring in our possession." The other woman announced.

"What!" Ryohei demanded. "After we fought like mad to get them in the first place, we have to give them back just like that!"

"If you are the true Guardian then there is nothing to be worried about. The Vongola ring will return to their true owner anyway." The Cervello replied both pulling out a ring box showing the Lightning ring already within one of the cases.

Ashlynn glowered at it when they came by to collect the rings.

"I don't have mine anymore." Hibari glared at the woman.

"That's because you threw it at me, remember?" Ashlynn pulled out the Cloud ring and placed it into one of the slots to hold it in place.

The Cervello inclined their heads. "The rings have been confirmed. Now we shall explain the rules of the Sky battle: Like the previous battles there is the condition that both half pieces must be combined and in one of the candidate's possession. However, this time the battlefield will be the entire school. In order to watch such a large battlefield, we have installed large screen displays at the observation box as well as various other locations. Also the Guardians will be using these wristband watches installed with a camera-equipped monitor." One of the women explained as the other passed out watches to the Guardians for both teams.

Ashlynn reluctantly slipped the watch over her wrist. 'I'll have to have something done for these arm guards. They protect my arms and the back of my hands but not enough of the underside of the wrist and my palms are left unprotected.'

"It looks like a little TV." Ryohei stared at the little monitor on the watch.

Yamamoto laughed pointing the screen in Tsuna's direction. "Hey Tsuna, it's your close up~!"

"Now, would all of the Guardians report to your battlefields?"

"Our battlefield? What's the point in that?" Levi questioned.

"We will no longer entertain anymore questions. If you do not follow the rules then you will be disqualified." The Cervello turned their backs on them to converse to them.

"So we're not just going to stand by and watch the battle? Ushishishi, sounds fun~." Bel sauntered over to the building where the Storm battle had taken place.

"Alright! Then this will be the only time that we can do this!" Ryohei declared stepping forward to make a small group between him, Yamamoto and Tsuna.

"The circle right?" Yamamoto asked as Ashlynn and Gokudera nodded coming forward as well. "Then let's get fired up!"

Ryohei glanced in the direction where Hibari and Chrome were and said, "You two can stay where you are! We've revised it with the ten-meter rule so you are a part of this too!"

"Ten meter rule? I don't remember that...?" Tsuna asked as they huddled.

Ryohei nodded completely serious. "A limit rule that anyone within the ten meters is within our rally circle."

"Hmm~. That means that the Cervello are in our huddle." Ashlynn jerked her ahead across from them where the Cervello were waiting. "Alright, you ready?"

"SAWADA...FIGHT...OHH!"

Yamamoto smiled. "Don't be rash okay?"

Ryohei clapped his good hand against the brunet's shoulder. "Good luck."

"We'll see you later." Gokudera grinned.

Chrome nodded. "Be careful, Boss."

Ashlynn smiled as Hibari went ahead to his battlefield with a soft huff. "You can do it, Tsuna." She said encouragingly before stepping away with the other Guardians then split paths as they went to each of their designated locations.

"Everyone..."

"This is it, eh?"

Tsuna turned around. "Eh? Shamal? Colonello?"

"I came here to collect your ashes." The doctor greeted with a smirk.

"I just came here to jeer." The Rain Arcobaleno declared dropping to the ground with Falco resting onto his mop of blonde hair.

The Cervello looked up. "The Guardians are at their battle fields."

Ashlynn looked down at the monitor in the watch when the Cervello's voice carried over the device and the woman began to explain about the poles that were at each battlefield. Levi was standing right next to it while Ashlynn had opted to stay two steps away from it.

"The towers we have set up now have the completed Vongola Guardian rings."

'Wonder how they got them here before we arrived...probably thanks to the people in charge of putting illusions around this place during the day...'

"The ring-? So we have to scramble for the rings all over again?" Gokudera asked.

"Ushishishi. In other words, we get to fight instead of just standing by to watch~ how fun."

Ashlynn didn't bother trying to relax the sudden tension in her muscles. Couldn't, actually. It was a predictable response to the fact that she was about to get stabbed with a needle to the wrist and given a poison that could take down an elephant.

"You are all free to do so...that is, if you are able to..." The Cervello paused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryohei frowned.

After nothing immediately happened Ashlynn took the spare split moment to move the plot along. "Why do I not like the way you just said that?" Just when the words spilled from her mouth she felt the wristband puncture through the tender flesh of her wrist. "Ow! Son of a bitch!"

"Wh-what? What was that! What just happened to them?" Tsuna yelled.

"Just now," The Cervello informed the two Boss candidates and spectators. "All the Guardians have been injected with a poison administered from the wristbands."

"The hell did you just say?" Dolly snarled.

"F-Fuck~" Ashlynn gasped out as she lost feeling in her legs and fell heavily to the ground with Levi following seconds after her. Over the small speaker on the watch she could hear the other Guardians in the same boat. She bit her lip as the rest of her body turned numb and a burning sensation was slowly overcoming her.

"The poison in question is called the 'Death Hitter'. Once administered into the bloodstream, it will paralyze the victim's nerves instantly. Even standing up will prove to be challenging. Then a burning pain will spread throughout the body, increasing gradually, until thirty minutes later...the victim will die."

"But why! Just what is the meaning of this! It's supposed to be the Sky battle, so why is everyone being involved like this!" Tsuna demanded.

"Because the Sky is the mission of the Boss." The women stared eerily at him. "The Sun, Lightning, Storm, Rain, Mist, Cloud...he influences all of them. He understands, accepts, leads and envelopes them all. That is the Sky's mission. In this battle, the lives of all the Guardians are entrusted into the hands of the Boss. And that is the basis of this battle."

Tsuna continued to argue. "Entrusted you say, but this, this is too much!"

"There is only one way to stop the progress of the poison. And that is to insert the matching ring into each Guardians wristband." The Cervello gave a moment then continued. "Once the ring is inserted into the indentation just below the monitor, it will activate the mechanism to administer the Death Hitter's antidote."

Reborn's voice was grim. "So not only is this for the Sky ring, but the Guardians' rings have become a crucial element in this battle as well."

The woman nodded. "Therefore, the condition for victory in the sky battle is this: You must acquire all seven of the Vongola rings. Use the chains around your neck to collect the full set of rings."

"Alright! I get it! Let's hurry otherwise everyone-!"

"There is one more thing that needs to be said," The other woman interrupted. "Once the battle has begun, any outside interference from non-participating personnel is forbidden, this includes any special bullets."

"I understand." Reborn said coyly.

There was a small crash over the speakers and the Cervello cried out. "Lord Xanxus! Not yet!"

"Hmph, Lets hurry and get started. Wasn't that what he said?" The Varia Boss asked.

"Well yes, in that case..."

"Xanxus, that was foul!" Basil cried.

"Oh my bad, did I get him before he got his special bullet?" Xanxus smirked.

"How foolish," Reborn admonished. "Just who do you think you're dealing with here? Tsuna, Xanxus is not a person you can fight against half-heartedly. If you are thinking of going after your Guardians first, you'll lose your own life first."

"I know, so I'll take care of him first." Tsuna said calmly within the Hyper dying will mode.

Xanxus scoffed. "Going to take care of me first? Ha! With that same pathetic level of power as last night?"

"Do I look the same as I did last night?"

"Can we...start now...?" Ashlynn gasped out asking. "If all you people...are going to do...is talk...then we...should have got...the poison...when you say to begin...the battle. Not before it...Dammit."

The Cervello nodded to each other then split off, one staying and the other motioning for the spectators to follow. "If you wish to observe the battle then please follow me. Quickly! The observation area is at the back of the school. As with the Guardian's battles do not leave the boundary of the infra-red lasers." The woman nodded as they approached the designated area and stared at the side of the building and also at the closest tree. "The three of you as well, please."

Ken sighed pushing off the wall and entered with Chikusa to stand on one side of the area while Fon revealing himself from the branches of the tree and moved to join the other two Arcobaleno in attendance with Shamal, Dolly, and Basil.

"At this time the communication between Guardians and spectators is shut off. Now, the Sky ring- Xanxus versus Sawada Tsunayoshi! Begin the battle!"

That was the last she heard over the speaker and mentally cursed that communication would be shut off. That would have been very helpful once someone got a ring. The only good thing was the giant screen that she could spy from laying on her side that showed the battle between Xanxus and Tsuna. And only within the first ten to twenty seconds Xanxus had melted through reinforced concrete. She struggled, rolling over onto her back and stared wearily at the tower. 'Xanxus will shoot it down with his very angry flame soon enough...but can I get to it before he does it...?'

She blinked swallowing as she painfully twitched her fingers to where her gun sat, not seeing that she was being shown on the big screen and her voice carried to the observers thanks to the slight movement. "I could shoot the damn thing down...but I'm not...that good of a shot...and I could end up...accidentally...shooting myself...if it...ricochets...Fuck...this sucks..."

"Just. Lie there...and die...scum..." Levi growled.

"Oh right,… do nothing...just like...you are...doing...asshole..."

And so she really was forced to just lay there and let the poison burn within her trying to think. The only thing of note that she had been able to do in the first three minutes was keep a few feet away from the tower before it inevitably fell over, move over to her back and then over again on her stomach. She couldn't say the same for Levi who merely laid there twitching every so often.

She blinked at the sound of an explosion and wracked her brain for what was happening since the screen was showing the Yamamoto next to the ring tower.

"Boss..." Levi moaned in pain. "Please...help me...I will follow...any orders you give..."

"...Shut up Levi." Ashlynn glared moving her hand into a fist sparking her aura into it and letting it travel outward across her skin giving it a tingling feeling as she labored to move her forearms shakily beneath her and was able to slowly lift herself, feeling triumphant at the small success, before a stream of orange light beamed over her head hitting the tower directly causing it to creek as the supporting disintegrating into nothing from the flames that now licked against the metal and the building surrounding it enveloping the rooftop with black smoke. The tower tipped over dropping the ring as it crashed. A startled scream tore from her throat as it landed.

With her trapped beneath it.

* * *

><p>Basil gasped at the screen. "That was the Lightning and Storm poles! A-And! Look! The Cloud Pole's been destroyed as well!"<p>

"Heh, Hibari struck his down and cured himself." Reborn smirked as they were shown Hibari grabbing the Storm ring back from Bel and tossed it back into the building.

"But how?" The Cervello gasped. "The Death Hitter's poison is so lethal that even an elephant would stop in its tracks..."

"It's the persistent power of a guy who hates to be restricted. That is why Hibari is...The aloof drifting cloud who protects the family from an independent standpoint and whom nothing can bind! Also, the true Guardians are not just about their missions. Their relationships also resemble the weather they are named after. When it is cloudy, there will be a chance of the remaining weather conditions. For example, it could be accompanied by a Storm."

* * *

><p>Levi nodded gratefully up at the flying figure in the air, grasping the ring and inserting the emblem receiving the antidote from the band. "Thank you, Boss!" He waited a few moments regaining his stance on his feet, flexing his hands as the feeling came back into his limbs and the burning pain disappeared. He turned around surveying the area. "Now, where is the girl? I'll kill her first before moving on if she hasn't already been burned to a crisp...There!" He spotted the dark red of the shirt she was wearing as she strained pushing and sweating against the uncomfortable weight and extra heat from the metal.<p>

"Not so fast!"

Levi pulled back at the last instance as a stick of dynamite blasted in front of his feet before he could halve the distance between him and his target. He snarled searching through the smoke. "What was that?"

Gokudera stepped through the smoke with a cigarette hanging from his lips and sticks of dynamite in his hands. "Stop where you are!"

"You! The Storm bomber kid. Stay out of my way or I am going to kill you." Levi declared reaching his hand to the harness on his back.

The smoker smirked. "Hmph, there's not a thunder cloud in sight; just how are you going to go about killing me? You're not all that scary without that electric umbrella technique, are you?"

"...I see...you are a fool...If my technique could only be used on a rainy days, you think I would be a core member of the Varia! My Levi Volta is-!" The man yelled releasing the umbrellas into the air. "An all-weather technique! I can use it whenever I choose to!"

"That's exactly as I thought. I've been waiting for this...the moment when all of your electrical umbrellas are...opened! Take this! Rocket Bomb!" Gokudera released the trajectory changing explosives into the air and hitting the floating devices head on then pulled out another set. "I don't have time to play with you at leisure. Eat this!"

"N-no!" Levi cried out as the explosives blew him off of the roof, leaving the ring that had been in his hand on the ground.

* * *

><p>"He succeeded! But, Oh! Lady Ashlynn is still there as well!" Basil strained his eyes at the screen above them.<p>

Reborn shook his head. "He hasn't forgotten about her. Speaking in terms of weather, the Storm and Lightning are like siblings. Look there, he's got her out of the rubble."

* * *

><p>"Thanks Gokudera." Ashlynn smiled as the antidote entered into her wrist and placed the Vongola Lightning ring on the middle finger of her right hand.<p>

"Yeah, and that gives us three rings in our possession and nothing for them. But there is still Lawn Head, Baseball Idiot and that Dokuro chick…"

"Right." She nodded absently as they both looked up at the two Bosses flying through the air with their flames propelling them through the space to attack each other.

"Arghh," The boy suddenly shook his head then helped her to her feet. "C'mon! We're not going to let the Boss worry about the other Guardians all by himself!" He led the way across the roof back to the back door leading back downstairs. Ashlynn gave a last glance to the edge of the roof before stumbling after the bomber down the steps.

'We're just about done here...' Ashlynn thought as the two froze in the hallway of the second floor of the building, shielding their eyes from the bright flash that came from the other side of the next building.

"What the Hell was that!" Gokudera rubbed at his eyes.

"Tsuna and Xanxus. The closest person to us right now should be Ryohei right? Let's keep going."

"Right!"

They found the boxer and Lussuria on the ground and upright in bed respectively in the courtyard on the side of the school. A carefully placed stick of dynamite from Gokudera tore the ring pole down without any problems and Ashlynn quickly put it in the space on Ryohei's watch.

"Ha ... thanks Senpai...Octopus Head..." The boy thanked them.

"You'll probably feel a little lightheaded for a while." Gokudera turned towards the two orange lights soaring in the sky. "I've got to go get the others. You stay here and catch your breath and wait until you can run without looking like you're going to keel over. You too Ashlynn."

"Then you should take our rings with you. You have a high chance of meeting with Sawada sooner than we do."

"He's right," She agreed taking off the Vongola ring. "You're the right hand after all. We'll follow soon enough."

"There is one thing...I'd like to save Lussuria..." Ryohei looked towards the still restrained and poisoned man.

"Oh well...Boss would have done the same thing I bet." Gokudera scoffed but took both rings and used the Sun ring to give Lussuria the antidote. He nodded to them before running off to find the remaining Guardians who still needed the antidote.

"With the ones that Octopus has so far, what's the score?" Ryohei asked after a few minutes rolling his shoulder.

"Including yours we have four of the seven rings. I'm going to go on. See who I can find."

He gave her a thumbs up. "To The Extreme, Senpai!"

Ashlynn nodded leaving the area and back-tracking back to see if she could find anyone. So she was running on the other side of campus nearly to where Tsuna and Xanxus were finishing up their fight. She nodded determined that the other Guardians were fine as the gym collapsed on itself, thanks to Ryohei. So now all she had to do was find Hibari. And she did find him. Just not in the way she expected, and she earned a whack to the back of the head by a tonfa for nearly running him over in her rush.

"H-Hibari-san! That hurt~..." She gingerly rubbed the bump she knew was going to grow in the very place he got her. "Hunh? Hibari-san?" She asked when he did not answer. She pressed her hand on the wobbly boy's uninjured shoulder and frowned when he merely pushed her off to walk towards the Boss fight. She huffed following after his fast walking pace. She paused but hurried on after the prefect as the speakers on the watches turned on and she could hear Squalo explaining the events that led to the cradle affair.

"Your mother didn't care anything and brought you to meet the Ninth Boss…He saw your flame and claimed you as his son…and you believed that declaration without a doubt. You were adopted, and as the Ninth Boss's son your impudence grew. You used your dignity and your power as the son of the Godfather and as his successor and grew to adulthood without anybody daring the risk to challenge you. But, the time came when you found out. That your mother never had a connection to the Ninth Boss. That you had been taken in as the adopted son of the Boss and worst of all, there was a law that stipulated that without the blood of the Vongola, you would never be accepted as the successor. That's around the time that I first met you…I realized it at once….and I decided to follow that rage of yours. Then half a year later…"

"The Cradle Affair." Reborn finished the sentence.

"That's all I know. And it wasn't until after the Cradle Affair that I dug it up…" Squalo confessed.

They arrived just as Tsuna stared over at Xanxus, both on the ground, beaten up but the Varia Boss was covered in his own blood from the Sky ring rejecting him.

Tsuna gritted his teeth. "All crap…You staged a rebellion against the Ninth Boss…and yet he didn't kill you for it…even till the end, hadn't he always treated you with acceptance? He didn't care about bloodlines or the law. He believed in you because you were his son and he treated you like you were his own—"

"Don't make me sick with that unconditional love shit!" Xanxus snarled. "What use is that trash! The only thing I wanted was the seat of the Boss! I only wanted those scumbags to worship and praise me!"

"This guy…" Gokudera stared shell-shocked as the man spit out blood.

"Lord Xanxus! We need to deliberate further on whether or not you are suitable for the rings. "The Cervello claimed swiftly making her way to the kneeling male.

The bloodied Boss roared. "Shut up! If I can't have them then no one's ever going to get them! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

"Lord Xanxus!" The Cervello protested.

"I approve! Way to go Boss! Ushishishi!" Bel turned to Tsuna with his knives glinting.

Mammon nodded next to the Prince. "Back to our original plan then. Very well!"

"How rotten can you assholes get!" Gokudera called standing forefront with the remaining Guardians minus Ashlynn and Hibari standing with him. "You think that I'll just stand back and allow that?"

"Aaa~ But you're all about half-dead, aren't you? Those two as well?" Bel motioned to them and then to the glaring prefect and the high school student who both had their weapons out and ready. "This time we'll do it a hundred percent right~. You're all going to die here. Ushishishi."

Gokudera scowled over his cigarette. "Are you blind or something? You're two against six! Who do you think the odds are favoring right now?"

"Two against six? What are you talking about? The odds are in our favor; you are facing an army ten times greater than this. All fifty members of our inborn Varia squad will be joining us momentarily." The Arcobaleno declared.

"Wh-what!" Ryohei gasped.

Mammon continued on smugly. "They were already on their way here because after our Boss's victory, they were supposed to eliminate the rest of the people here and settle everything. These are our elite, next in battle only to us core members."

"Wait! Wait a minute!" The Cervello gathered together, one of them stepping closer to the Varia Guardians. "We cannot allow any outsiders to interfere in the middle of the battle-!"

"You really think we care!" The Prince grinned savagely digging a knife into the Cervello's stomach and ripped it out, reveling in her scream before she fell bloodied to the dirt.

"So they've finally showed their hand." Shamal cursed over the speakers

Colonello snagged his artillery rifle in front of him. "Since they've shown their true intentions then we will join the battle too, on Tsuna's side! Let us out of here, kora!"

"Do it Cervello!" Dino yelled. "You shouldn't have any objections if they're bringing in outsiders!"

"I shall join the battle as well!" Basil agreed.

The remaining woman nodded jumping out of the way of incoming knives and dodged out of being trapped within the wires, all the while pulling out a remote. "Understood. In that case, the Varia side has been disqualified from the Scramble battles. The infra-red boundary on the observation box will be deactivated immediately."

"Let's go." Dolly growled stalking forward but stopped short when Reborn tugged the bottom of her pants.

He shook his head, Leon transformed as goggles over his eyes. "Wait. It's still activated."

Mammon flew into the air. "How naïve. We sabotaged it before. It was already arranged for you all to die in that jail cell."

"Move, then! I'll blast us out of here, kora!"

"That's useless! It's been constructed to explode internally if you fire from the inside!" The woman warned.

"Then you better get to fixing it, girlie." Dolly glared heatedly up at the giant TV on the school's wall.

"Fuck! You mean we're on our own!" Gokudera glanced around trying to see where these elite members would try to attack from.

"Th- Someone's here!" Chrome pointed towards the gates where two men and one woman in the black uniform of the Varia moved within sight.

"Nice timing~ We've been waiting for you." Bel folded his arms behind his neck.

"Reporting sir!" The man in the middle cried as his two comrades fell to their knees in exhaustion "We are the only ones left! The Varia squad has been taken out! That man is too strong! A demon, and he'll be here soon enou—AUGHHHH!" The man yelled as a giant ball of iron bowled the three over like pins.

"Boujareppa!"

"It's that guy!" Gokudera gasped in recognition.

A chain was in a tightened grip of the dark haired young man who appeared from the school gates.

"Don't be mistaken, Vongola. I didn't come here to help you…I came here to say thank you."

"Lan-Lancia-san!" Tsuna stared in shook at the approaching newcomer.

"Lancia? You mean that 'Lancia'?" Mammon asked.

Bel paused. "Who's he?"

"Lancia," Squalo answered over the speaker. "The strongest and most fearsome man in Northern Italy. The Lancia who murdered his entire Famiglia."

"Fnn, now that he's fighting with his own will instead of being controlled by another, he has no more doubts." Reborn smirked beneath his hat.

"Shishi, well in that case, we should go ahead and finish this off, right?" Bel grinned suddenly launching knives at Tsuna.

They were knocked down however by Yamamoto standing in front of the Boss with Shigure Kintoki drawn. "Sorry, but I can't let you do that!"

"Muu, so it's come down to this." Mammon frowned "Then I'll-!"

Chrome snapped her trident to the dirt beneath her and called forth an arrary of fire pillars to strike and contain the Arcobaleno. "You won't escape again!"

"Hey. We have unfinished business." Hibari called to the blonde Prince with Ashlynn and Ryohei moving to support as Gokudera slid towards Tsuna. The Guardians in their positions pushing the two still able fighting Varia Guardians to stand defensively beside their defeated Boss.

Bel dropped his knives and put his hands up in surrender. "Well, looks like that's it…"

"Boss….it's over…" Mammon landed lightly to the ground.

"Useless scumbags…all of you…" Xanxus choked out, the Vongola ring still on his finger and his body gradually getting weaker because of its rejection. "Fucking shit, Damn you all! ALL OF YOU SHITBAGS! I CURSE YOU TO DEATH!"

"…Lord Xanxus." The Cervello knelt above his head. "Since you have been disqualified you must forfeit the Vongola rings."

"Cer…vello…It's gone…to your wishes…you were…right…You happy now..?" He huffed out a breath.

The woman placed her hand on his cheek. "You say such words, but…we do not have wishes. Nor do we predict anything… Everything was already decided. Your role in this is over Lord Xanxus."

"Haa…You…cunning…fox…" Xanxus replied closing his eyes.

The Cervello did not react to the moniker and re-took possession of the rings and stood up, two other Cervello stepping to her side. "Thank you for doing your part. With this the Scramble battles for the rings is officially over. We will now announce the overall result: Since Lord Xanxus has been disqualified do to the rejection of the Sky ring, the winner of the Sky battle is Lord Sawada Tsunayoshi. Therefore the next successor of the Vongola is Lord Tsunayoshi and his six Guardians."

Reborn tipped his hat. "Well done, everyone. Now we can go home."

Tsuna let out a breath of relief as he moved his gloved hand to his pocket to pull out a small charm and smiled. "E-everyone…we did it…"

Then passed out.

"Juudaime!"

"Tsuna!"

* * *

><p>"Juudaime!" Gokudera yelled running to the boy in the front leading the last group to arrive at Takesushi restaurant two days later.<p>

Ashlynn smiled at the almost horrified look Tsuna was giving off when the boy caught sight of the Vongola rings on their hands and the near fearful look he gave to the Sky ring when Reborn presented it to him. The official story that they told Maman and the girls was that they had won the so called Sumo tournament and that the party was to celebrate a flawless victory. And of course they bought it and the fact that the rings were trophies…well, Kurokawa Hana didn't seem too convinced but seemed to let it go since she was invited.

'This is nice though…how light everything is now that the Arc is over…but….' She plopped a piece of sushi in her mouth with her chopsticks thinking back to the conversation she had not a few hours earlier.

"Seanathair." She had greeted the man when she was allowed in the Don's hospital room. The Guard that was standing on watch beside the old man nodded as Timoteo motioned for him to leave the room.

"My dear." He grasped her hands and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Then smiled, bittersweet, at the new ring on her right hand.

"You're doing better?"

"Another day in bed and a good sleep and I shall be recovered enough to travel back to Italy. "

Ashlynn nodded.

There was a knowing look on the man's face when she did not say anything further. "You knew that I was being held in Mosca."

She nodded again looking down at her hands. "I found…I wanted to change things…I thought maybe I should have given you hints, vague ones, to warn you what was about to happen. I could have let someone, Reborn, know what I knew. I could have tried to find where the Varia was staying and come find you—."

"That would have been a extremely foolish thing to do, Ashlynn. While you have grown exponentially over the year you would not have survived against them on your own."

"…I know…"

"Now, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Things have turned out for the best, My dear."

Ashlynn shrugged. "For now at least and I'm not sure how much time there is until the next Arc. I…sigh…really don't likethis. Hindsight may be twenty-twenty but foresight really sucks without a good course of action or at least an idea of one…I hesitated so many times these past two weeks. Debating on keeping with the events as they were and continue knowing what is to happen or to deviate and be thrown into something I'm not prepared to work with."

"Ashlynn," The old Boss tilted her chin up to look at him. "Life never gives us time to be prepared and sooner or later your knowledge will end with the story. But I will tell you this: I trust your judgment as you are a very level headed person. If you see fit to deviate and that deviation can save lives then do so, if there is some good that you can do, then do that in favor of standing back. I shall not blame you either way." He told her firmly patting her cheek.

"Thank you, Seanathair..."

She laughed as Yamamoto tried to throw his arm around Gokudera in celebration and the bomber scowled throwing it off then exploding in rage when the baseball player wrapped his other arm around Tsuna. 'I want them to keep finding things to be happy for….to keep this light feeling…I'll protect that.'

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><p>Boujareppa: Violent snakes fierce conquest!<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

Alrighty~ In this chapter we'll be deviating a good bit but you'll definitely enjoy the change~

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><p>Everyone here has the sense that right now is one of those moments when we are influencing the future.<p>

**-Steve Jobs**

When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat?

**-Chuck Palahniuk**

The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.

**-Bill Watterson**

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><p><em>She had only met the older girl so many times that she could count on one hand and still have fingers left over, but the impression that Kurokawa Hana got from the eldest Sawada daughter was that she was someone really cool that she could look up to along with Gokudera's half-sister, Bianchi.<em>

_It was at Bianchi's June wedding that she got to learn a little about the girl. She had decided to ask the Sawada Matriarch mainly because Tsuna was busy with the cute blonde male that she had overheard was the girl's boyfriend. A good snag even if the man was a klutz. Hana figured that was part of his charm that attracted the Sawada female in the first place. But anyway, she decided to ask the brunette woman because if anyone knew the girl best it would be her mother._

_Standing beside the smiling Matriarch she pointed to the girl in question. "Sawada-san, I've only seen her a few times and I can't remember if I ever learned her name or not..."_

_"Oh? You mean Ashlynn-chan?"_

_"Does she live with you?" Hana asked. Because of the noise of the crowd around them as they made their way to the reception hall she was only able to catch the end of what the woman had said and never realized that she had misheard the name. 'So, her name is Rin? Huh, Sawada Rin...even her name is cool...'_

_"Oh no, she lives in an apartment not too far away and she comes over to see Tsuna and the kids from time to time bringing some things she makes at the bakery she works at. You know, Fukano's Bakery in the shopping district?"_

_'She lives on her own and supports herself but goes back to visit every now and then? And she has a boyfriend...amazing...she's really responsible; she's like the polar opposite of her brother who looks like Nana-san. Rin-san must take more after the father...' She nodded. "Wow, she's such an adult."_

_Nana smiled pressing a hand to her cheek and opened her mouth to reply. Hana tilted her head when the crowds cheering drowned the woman out. She shrugged not too bothered; it was probably a generic reply anyway like how the woman was so proud but wished that her daughter wasn't so independent to leave the house so soon. She switched her attention to the main table where the bride and groom sat down as the crowd cheered, 'Evviva Gli Sposi', whatever that meant._

_If she had heard what Nana had said then she would have learned that 'Rin' was not Nana's daughter, not even related actually and not even from Japan._

_"I wonder, if Iemitsu and I had another child together would we have had a daughter like Ashlynn-chan?"_

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><p>After walking away victorious from the Kokuyo Arc, Ashlynn had become relatively certain that she would get one to two weeks minimum before the start of the next major Arc. Unfortunately for her that 'relative certainty' was sadly incorrect and was actually just wishful thinking on her part. Sure there was the party celebrating their win against the Varia the day after the Sky Battle. Sure that Sunday morning she had slept like the dead. And she had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow that very night. But she wouldn't have the minimum week to rest herself before being launched into battle. Nope. And so she found herself right into the beginning of the next Arc the very next day. I would have been more, but then she just had to go and talk to the very person who was (Would be) a great importance to the next part of the series because she hadn't seen him for a while. Needless to say she was greatly unprepared and ended up falling face first into the Future Arc.<p>

Literally.

She figured that if she didn't do anything impulsive next time then maybe she could have that nice full week off to rest and actually be in school when the Shimon Arc comes around. But that was a long ways off and she was getting ahead of herself. When she took the moment to remember the story line as she soothed the bump on her head, she realized that the time line was where it should be and there was really no complaining about it. Except, of course, her forehead hurt from smacking into a bed post from her failed landing.

And the day had started off so well too. She had breakfast with Dolly, Fon, and Birdy then went to school and hung out with Ran for a little while...But then on the way home after splitting ways with Ran:

"Rin-san! Rin-san!"

Ashlynn kept walking and would have kept doing so if someone hadn't tapped her shoulder. She hummed and smiled when she found Kurokawa standing behind her. "Aa, Kurokawa-san?"

"I was about to head over to Sawada's house and drop this off but then I saw you. Can you give it to your brother for me? He left his stuff in the student duty folder again and never took it back."

Ashlynn blinked as Hana pressed a folder of papers into her hands. "My brother?"

"Oh, I mean Tsuna. I guess you could be confused because that little brat that dresses as a cow shows up from somehow ditching elementary, and there's the other young, but more polite boy as well. So could you take it for me? I have to run back to the school to finish up my own class duties."

"Yeah, sure thing but-"

"Thank you very much, Rin-san!"

"Tsuna's not-"

"I'll see you around, okay? Bye Rin-san! And thanks again!" Kurokawa unknowingly talked over her then waved and ran back the way she came.

Ashlynn's face fell, her hand still outstretched to try to explain but the girl was already too far away to hear her. "-my brother...and my name's not Rin..."

"Ciaossu, Ashlynn."

"Oh, Reborn." She turned back around to find the hitman. She handed over the papers when he nodded to them and explained out of courtesy what Hana had just said they were.

"Aa, thank you Ashlynn. I will be having a talk with Tsuna about these. Ciao."

"Oh, okay... bye then..." She waved and continued walking then paused. A few streets over when she saw someone familiar that she hadn't had the chance to see or talk to for a while. So she stepped behind the boy who was holding a darker shaded bazooka and huddled over a piece of paper. Not immediately seeing what was wrong with her sudden action she sang just behind him. "Shoichi~!"

"Aaaahh!" The boy squealed turning quickly around to see who was behind him, accidentally pulling the trigger and firing at the girl. He fell on his bottom on the ground staring at the smoke that had enveloped the high school female in shock. He gasped looking at the instructions written to him and began to sweat. "Oh no, oh no...No no no...I- I fired it too early! A-Ashlynn-san! Wh-what am I going to do now! She was supposed to be one of the last ones to go! Aughh, It doesn't say anything about what to do if I mess up!"

...

The lesson she learned from the encounter was: 'Do not sneak up on someone who has an important plot device in his hands.' Especially if said person was a skittish and easily freaked out person. Namely the present Irie Shoichi.

She sighed rubbing her head again as she glanced about the room she was in. It's very tasteful, she eventually decided. 'The yellow almost looks the same shade as my apartment...and the matching brown furniture is nice too. The bed is huuuge and-' She stopped in her tracks and paused her admiration of the interior of the bedroom her gaze caught by the folded piece of paper on one of the many pillows with her name written on the top.

"Well, hello there." She greeted slipping her shoes off her feet before flopping onto the bed with her feet kicking lazily into the air. She unfolded the page and began to read the message left to her.

'Ashlynn,

Before you do anything go into the top drawer of the nightstand of the master bedroom (the room you should be in right now) and find the Mammon chains. You must put this over the Vongola ring and Claddaugh ring** IMMEDIATELY**!'

"Oh shit!" Ashlynn cursed scrambling to the other side of the bed and pulling the drawer out, digging through a few files and finding two green weapon boxes and a single yellow one that she set aside on top of the wood before she got her hands on a small bag of chains. Fumbling with the zip lock she slipped a chain over each ring on her right hand, the Vongola ring on her middle finger that she wore when out of school and the ever present Claddaugh on her ring finger. "Crap, I can't believe I forgot that they could be traced! And I was taking my time doing nothing while I was probably being tracked down!...Okay, there on now...but why does the Claddaugh ring need to be chained?" She sat back down onto the bed and continued to the next lines of the message for answers.

'Now that has been taken care, I am writing to you in preparation of our switch through time and hope that this message finds you in good health and the Vongola ring on your finger. There are a few things you need to know before you do anything else and you should understand that you MUST destroy this letter the very moment you have read and understood its contents.

For simplicities sake I have listed them in order:

**1.** Also in the nightstand I have left my box weapons and two sets of each graded ring for Lightning with Mammon chains already in place (Grades D-A). There are also two hand guns in the bottom drawer along with their holsters and ammunition. Please equip yourself with everything right now and keep these items with you at all times from this point forward (Even when you go to sleep). You should go ahead and take my wallet as well which you'll also find in the top drawer.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering about the rings: I've broken a good many of them when I channel my flame into them. Not as many as Kyouya has broken, but enough that it became a joke among the Guardians and our allies.

Next the Claddaugh ring. A few years after first using the rings and boxes we figured out my secondary affinity. By the color of the extra weapon box you've no doubt noticed, my secondary is Sun. I can't say why the Claddaugh ring can channel that flame (and not break in the process). I'm afraid that's something you have to learn for yourself.'

"Because you can't give me all of the answers..."

'**2**. You were not switched a full ten years but actually nine years and ten months; just as it was in Canon. If there is any confusion just chalk it up to and be happy with the explanation that you are in the future for a purpose and keep it at that.

I am Twenty seven years old, happily married, and six months pregnant...you can take a moment to imagine that...(If it was known to anyone in the past that I was pregnant, and I'm sure there is, and the number of months I am along don't match up; well there's another time explanation about choices in the past or rather your present that changes your future which is my present. Bottom line: A decision can change everything...but don't worry about it.)'

"Six months? Seriously?" Ashlynn did take that moment to imagine what it might have looked like but shook her head before she continued on the next lines.

**3.** Tied in with number two, and the reason for the safe house (the house you are in right now): As I was getting along in my pregnancy it was decided that I go into hiding for mine and my child's safety. I understand the necessity but I wasn't really happy about it. There is no need to be worried about seeing anything you shouldn't about the future (i.e. relationships and whatnot). Anywhere else is debatable but when I came to this safe house in particular I hardly brought any personal affects with me.

**4.** There are only four people who know where I am. These people are Tsuna, Kyouya, Xanxus, and Squalo. Recently this group lost one of its numbers. You know who I am talking about.'

Ashlynn nodded. 'Future Tsuna...'

**5**. I was not keyed into the 'Plan'...Didn't stop me from hinting and passing on information that was relevant to help them. I also told Tsuna, on the last day that I saw him, to make sure he wore clean underwear. The look on his face was funny until he understood what I was implying.

**6**. Now, really important this next part:

Because of the protections around the house you need a pass worded phrase to get in and a different one to get out, among other precautions that were set up. One of the remaining three is set to check with me sometime this week. I'm sorry, I do not know who or when so you'll be stuck in place for a little bit. Please, I cannot stress this enough, please do NOT attempt to leave on your own. This is not a challenge. You are in Italy, not Japan. You will get lost. And that would be bad.

The Best of luck to you, Ashlynn.

Niamh'

"This...This is bad. This is not where I wanted to be when this Arc began." Ashlynn rubbed her temples as she thought out loud. "Tsuna has to gather all of the Guardians and their rings together in one place so when they go for Melone they'll have a barrier to protect them from the transportation that Byakuran activates. They won't have that barrier unless the Vongola Lightning ring is in Japan. I'm not any good to them if I'm half the world away!"

Ashlynn patted her cheeks. "Okay, I can't do anything about the fact that I'm in a country with a language I only know a few words of. I can't do anything about the fact that I have to wait here until someone comes and gets me. Whether that person is one of the three or an enemy tracking down the unchained rings is yet to be seen. If I can't get to Japan in time for the raid...then...there's always that castle siege...And...I should probably stop talking to myself. And I need to destroy this.

She hummed and did as instructed, destroying the letter with a snap of her fingers and the page burned away into ash over a conveniently placed garbage can. Ashlynn then decided on a little snooping. Not for anything that might give her an idea of whom her husband was. But rather for clothes in her future self's closet and hoped as she paused at the door to the walk-in space that there was something put aside that would be close to her size. While the boys may have been okay fighting in their school uniforms, Ashlynn wasn't and she didn't want to fight in it if she could help it. She exhaled a grateful breath as she peeked passed the maternity clothing and found suit pants, nice button up shirts, vests, and ties.

"Score." She grinned pulling out a short sleeved, soft grey button up and a pair of black slacks that were closest to her size and tried them on. "Perfect." She declared at the nice snug fit, then took them off and laid them on top of the dresser for later. She then looked into the drawers of that dresser and pulled on a baggy shirt and a pair of shorts. Her uniform went into her school bag then in a corner in the closet. The holsters went around both thighs with both guns within them while the small boxes of bullets were placed into a pouch then strapped to a belt on her right side and on her left she chained the three box weapons around the decorative holes and on the belt. Then unclasping the one regular chain from around her wrist she slipped it through all eight green, Mammon chained rings then reclasped the chain of rings around her wrist. Not the greatest place to have them but so long as she didn't have to keep them around her neck she was fine with it.

Now dressed to the teeth she slipped her shoes back on her feet and opened the door out of the master bedroom to explore her current residence. There were five doors total on the second floor: The Master bedroom, a light blue guest room, the guest bathroom, a linen closet and a study. The last room she found more interest in than the other rooms besides the Master bedroom. Done in charcoal gray and a single red wall the room was impeccably clean with four book cases, two lining the opposite walls. And in the middle was a dark brown wooden desk with a black swivel chair. Ashlynn hummed an old tune as she leisurely ran her hand gently across the spines of the books and found a few titles she knew and liked; the Avalon and Goosebumps series being the most notable. But since there wasn't anything she could see on the shelves that may give her a little more insight about the situation in the future she moved to sit in the swivel chair and leafed through papers she couldn't even begin to read. Since the letter hadn't said anything about hiding places for information she left the room to map out the rest of the safe house.

From the stairs she stepped into the room that had the front door. White walls with a few landscape paintings spaced along one of the walls, wooden floors, and two leather couches facing another in the middle of the room. While the letter had stressed that she shouldn't leave on her own it didn't say anything about how far into or out of the property that required a phrase. But to be safe, she decided to stay within the house and peek through the windows for her surroundings and the only thing she could was that it was dark out. Nothing caught her eye so she moved along to the next room which turned out to be a fancy dining room done in sea foam green and more brown furniture. Again nothing popped out to her and so she moved onto the next room.

Now dubbed the 'Ocean room' it was just it was named. A deep Ocean blue colored the walls, white leather couches and a white coffee table in front of it looking straight to the entertainment system. Paintings lined the walls showing shells, ships, and lighthouses. And her favorite part of the room; the large fish tank that took up the expanse of an entire wall next to the door that lead into the cream colored kitchen where she found the time being midnight.

The next favorite had to be the garage, or rather, what was being kept within the garage. The hot yellow 9-3 convertible. She didn't even bother smothering the fan girlish squeal that emerged from her throat as she crossed the space between the door and the shiny car she had dreamed of getting. And on the far side of the wall besides the awesome car there were two futuristic versions of the Yamaha TW200 dirt bikes with their helmets sitting on the seats, one red and the other green. Ashlynn grinned happily at the vehicles: Her dream car ant the kind of bikes that she had only been allowed to ride with her distant cousin's permission (that was rarely ever given). Even though her future self was in hiding, she had really cool stuff!

"And the tour is over...I should try to go to sleep to get used to the time change...But first some food. Hungry~."

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><p>"Reborn? Reborn, where are you!" Tsuna called looking around the street in case the hitman was about to surprise him from a hiding spot. But nothing appeared no matter how many times he turned around looking. "H-he..dis...disappeared...? No, with the bazooka you switch with your future self for five minutes...from what the Future Ashlynn and Lambo's explained, if no one appears then it means...No! I don't really understand everything...I shouldn't worry so much!" Tsuna decided resuming on his way. "I'm probably just over reacting and He'll be home by the time school ends and he'll probably also have something crazy planned, I'm sure."<p>

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><p>With a little difficulty Ashlynn had gone to bed but because of the new place she wasn't able to fall asleep until the clock showed her the time, two am in Italy, in bright blinking red numbers. She managed but ended up waking up more tired than she was when she went to sleep. It was obvious by the way her face almost fell into her soggy bowl of cereal.<p>

Ashlynn grumbled under her breath using the water in the sink as it's hottest to clean out the icky remains before putting the now dry dishes back where she found them. A shower afterwards only made her more tired and dressing into the clothes she had set out the night before (really, a day before), her shoes, the holsters, rings, boxes, and guns became much more of a bother than they should have been.

'I wish I knew who was coming...actually no...Hibari's definitely in Japan. Tsuna's dead...Xanxus doesn't seem the type to go fetch someone so it's got to be Squalo... Wasn't there some way that Future me could contact them? Even if she was in hiding what if there was an emerge-...!'

She jumped at the sudden alarms sirening throughout the safe house, before it was cut off in the middle of the third bell. Her sleepiness vanishing in place of the sense that something was very wrong now.

'Those shouldn't have gone off. If they had the correct phrases to get in then those shouldn't have gone off!' Ashlynn set out of the study room bypassing all the furniture and closets that could be potential hiding places had she been playing a non-life and death game, but instead as quietly as she was able she booked it back to the first floor and into the kitchen for a place that had always caused ungodly amounts of frustration whenever someone thought it was a good idea to play hide and seek with her. 'It's perfect. And it's a place where no one would ever think to look for a six month pregnant woman.'

So she opened up the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink and began to move bottle of cleaners to the side before crawling into the low space, careful of the guns and weapons on her person, and softly closing the door behind her, turning around so that her back was resting against the very back of the cupboard, she started moving the items back into place in front of her and her hands found a few washcloths (thankfully clean) that she draped over the front of her shoulders and on top of her head.

'And now the only reason they might look in here is if someone made a mess and wanted to clean it up. Unlikely but then again someone could have OCD and everything would have to be in place regardless if this is a raid or not.' She raised an eyebrow as she heard bangs from doors being kicked open and stomping on the stairs. 'They're not being very quiet...' She froze as she heard steps into the kitchen. Heels. There was the sound of one of the chairs being dragged against the tile. A woman sighed. Then a few minutes later the door opened again and someone else stepped into the room.

The woman spoke. "Any sign of her?"

"No." A man this time. "Though for a moment we were able to find a signal from two powerful rings at this location, it seems that we just missed her. The ring was most likely used to get past the protection they set up." Something was dropped on the table. "But we found this in the closet of the master bedroom."

'Crap, I forgot about my bag! C'mon, think nothing of it and get the Hell out of here...' Ashlynn mentally swore at her forgetfulness, but she was grateful the two trespassers were speaking in English.

The woman hummed opening the clasps. "This looks pretty old, and these papers...are dated back about nine years and more ago...Perhaps she grabbed the wrong bag when she was first moved here, or by the looks of the clothing she might have wanted some sort of memento of the time before joining a mafia family. They are very well taken care of...but not something a six month pregnant female can fit easily into..."

'Same with a kitchen sink. And yet, here I am.' The corners of her lips twitched.

"Even so, she still might be here. Are your men being careful with their search, Cameren? Even during her pregnancy she is still a Vongola Guardian with a very powerful resolve. And that resolve could only be stronger with protecting her unborn child."

"As much as we are able ma'am. What do you suggest we do now? We could torch the place."

Ashlynn held her breath in the dark. 'I don't like that idea.'

"No." The woman replied sternly. "We know where this place is now and how the protections work despite initially tripping the alarms. Let the Vongola and its allies believe that it was a malfunction or as you said, the ring may have been used to get past the alarms, and that this location is still safe. I will report this back to Byakuran-sama then return to my post."

"...Ma'am."

"I can't be away for too long otherwise they'll become suspicious and it is imperative that I keep my cover. They hardly trust me as it is even with my father and grandfather associating with them."

"Of course."

"Now," The woman stood up pushing the chair back in. "We'll leave for the camp to the east and have a small group report to the one in the south. Have one of the technicians put in something so we know whenever someone enters the property lines, preferably without setting anything else off. And start having someone staked out to watch the house starting this afternoon."

"As you wish."

"Let's go Cameren."

Ashlynn stayed within the small confines of the cupboard, breathing as silently as she was able, trying to keep her heart from racing, counting backwards from six hundred which would be about ten minutes in total. 'It shouldn't take too long for them to search the place since there aren't any hidden passages that Future me told me about...Okay, Six hundred, five-hundred and ninety-nine, five hundred and ninety-eight, five hundred and ninety-seven...' She counted silently trying to focus on the sounds of the house and not the fact that her legs were beginning to fall uncomfortably numb. She steadied her breathing as people came in and out of the kitchen twice but did not open anything besides the fridge, one of them commenting on the absence of cupcakes and an expectation that there would be a mountain of them even if they would not work for them. Another commented on how cool the fish from the Ocean room were.

'Five hundred and forty five, five hundred and forty-four, Five hundred and forty-three...' Hurry the hell up and get out of here...'

Another two people entered the kitchen. One male spoke as the fridge was opened again. "Jeez what's up with all the weird stuff? There's a Tupperware with pickles, broccoli, and ketchup in it, there's two drawers filled with potatoes, four jars of jelly, and...dried mango slices?"

"Well, the chick that was here was really pregnant right? Pregnant women get cravings."

'Don't touch the mango slices, they're amazing.' Ashlynn silently warned.

"Huh, they have soda here. You want one for the trip back?"

"Sure. Thanks." Another male. He sighed. "Why do we have to speak in English? My mouth feels dirty speaking it."

"Orders from up top. Usually when we're in a certain country we speak a different language. Like that one time we were in India and we spoke Russian throughout the entire stay."

"So a precaution, but what if someone overhears and happens to know the language?"

"Just a risk we have to take...Alright, this is everything. Lucky you, once we get back to camp you get to stay there. I have to come back here within the hour."

'An hour's all I get? Go ahead and take your time buddy. Take a couple scenic detours while you're at it. I could use all the time I can get right now and hopefully an ally will notice that the ring was uncovered here too.' She silently begged as the doors opened and closed once more and she waited, moving the dish towels off her head, and began slowly moving the cleaning supplies to the side again. She pushed the cabinet door open a crack and peeked through the opening and when she didn't see any feet she pushed it open all the way and crawled out of the low space. She sighed grabbing her bag that was left on the table and quickly made a beeline to the master bedroom, pulling up the comforter and slipping out the box of the graded lightning rings and the small bag of chains and packing it into her bag. Then into the closet to one of the higher shelves where she spotted a bigger bag. She snatched it down and threw it on the bed followed by two shirts and pants from the closet.

"No way am I going to let them get a hold of anything they could use here. So that means the rings and the chains. I've got the guns on me. I now have two changes of clothes that I can take with; four including the one I'm wearing right now and my uniform..." She counted everything out loud as she packed it tightly into the bag. "I've got mine and her chakrams, the boxes, my dagger..." She patted her pockets and with a decided nod she hefted the bag over her shoulder, slipped her shoes on and stepped down to the second floor and through the Ocean room.

"You! What are you doing here!" There was a click of a gun. "Very slowly, turn around."

Ashlynn froze, standing at the side of the fish tank just about to go through the doorway to the kitchen. she slowly, so slowly, turned about to face the male who was holding a gun pointed at her chest with shaky hands. It was the man who had complained of having to come back to stake out the house.

"Why are you here?" He demanded in English.

"It's my job to feed the fishies." She blurted out jerking her head at the tank.

That quick motion set the brunet to swivel the gun to the aquarium and fired three shots into glass shattering it into miniscule pieces and flooding the wooden floors with water, small rocks, decorations, and flopping fish. Ashlynn looked down at the mess then back at the jumpy male ruefully (and more than a little nervous) as she used one hand to brush her hair over her should while discreetly using the other hand to grasp the gun strapped to her thigh.

"Dude. You're a dick." She stated drawing up her gun and shooting the man in the chest sending him down to bloody the water with his blood. She let out a shaky breath lowering her now quivering hand. "I'm sorry. When this Arc is over with and I go back to the past...this will never have to happen..."

She turned away pressing her hands to the nearest wall, closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply. Inhale, hold then exhale.

"Agostino...Agostino...check in Agostino...Are you there? Report Agostino. Over."

"Dammit," Ashlynn cursed turning eyes back on the man, now named Agostino. She carefully knelt beside the corpse and gingerly took away the communicator.

There was a sigh on the other line. Ashlynn froze as she realized that the person had heard her. "Tamerune, is that you? I thought I told you not to let Agostino to shirk his duties off on you."

"I...I'm sorry." She apologized. 'He thinks I'm one of his men...?'

"Do you know where he went? He's in the town further south, isn't he?"

"...Yes sir."

The man sighed again. "Well since you're already there, can you stay tonight and the next at the house? Rest assured that I will have a stern talking to with Agostino. He should know better than to take advantage of you."

"I will...and thank you." Ashlynn mumbled.

"You've got it Tamerune. I'll call again when I have someone switch out with you. Over and out."

Ashlynn released another shaky breath. As the line turned off and she made sure to find and press the small button to make sure that it was turned off correctly before throwing it in the garbage. She looked at the body on the floor and shook her head wearily. "What to do with you..."

One dead man in a dumpster later, Ashlynn washed her hands and after a quick look at her clothing she decided it was best to change, again, so she wouldn't bring too much attention to herself with the blood that had seeped through when she carried the man out back to the garbage. So now in a white shirt, another button up with a black vest over with black pants she stepped the kitchen for some snacks and water to bring along with her then moved into the garage. While she had a basic knowledge of driving a car she didn't want to risk making a mistake or even being pulled over so she instead moved to the dirt bikes. She could keep her bag on her back and wear the helmet. A more thorough glance around allowed her to find a jacket that she immediately shrugged into and a container that had fuel inside. Ashlynn made sure the top was completely sealed before stuffing it into the very top of her bag. She didn't think she'd need it thanks to the electrical engine; she could channel her own electricity but she wanted to be prepared just in case.

She walked the bike out through the side door of the garage forgoing opening the larger automatic door, pressed the on button to start the bike, put on her helmet then braced herself as she sped through the fallen leaves on the property lines into the surrounding forest area. She was taking a big risk, and more than one. While she didn't set off any seeable alarms as she weaved in and out of trees towards North. 'The woman had said setting up something to track people coming in...but not going out...I hope...and I hope that North was the way to go. And, dammit, I should have thought this out better!'

So long as I don't accidentally ride into a Millefiore or any of their allies camps then I should be fine. 'It'd be like, "Hey, I know I was hiding from you before but here I am ready for capturing! Happy smiles, everyone! If I don't run into the Varia or one of our allies then I'll get myself over to Japan-!"'

She swerved nearly hitting into a cluster of closely grown trees as the bark of the trees she passed were blown off. "Shit!" She cried regaining her balance and picking up speed before she could eat dirt. She chanced a glance behind her shoulder. A rider with the red helmet on the red Yamaha from the garage was hot on her tail with an automatic crossbow attached to the arm with blue flames licking the weapon.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! How long has he been following!" She cried keeping her head down as low as she was able and kept the bike steady with one hand while she used the other to slip her chakram bracelet into her fist. Just as she passed one of the larger trees she channeled her flame into a single point on the circular blade and sliced through the trunk like butter. It gave her a few seconds to get ahead of her pursuer but she'd need more.

Especially now there was a blue flame burning through the cloth of her arm where she had reached out.

Ashlynn growled reverting the chakram back into its default form as it became obvious that she couldn't channel through that limb anymore due to the tranquility effect of the rain flame. She'd have to ditch the jacket just in case but she didn't have the time to stop to take the bag off then get rid of the heavy cloth. Even now her pursuer was catching up despite the small detour the rider had to take to keep from crashing into the fallen trunk. The person went up the incline of the hill with the arm with the crossbow trained on her but when no opportunity to attack showed the rider moved the bike to close the height distance between them by jumping off the ledge and nearly crashing into Ashlynn.

She swore again steering more to the right so she was going North East jumping off little ramp like hills and trying to keep out of range of the rain bolts. She glanced back again to see how much distance she had between the other rider.

It turned out to be a very bad mistake when the bike suddenly dipped down, throwing her falling forward and over the handlebars and wheel as she tumbled forty feet down the sharp decline covered in leaves. The bike landed on its side a few feet away from where she laid panting from the struggle to gain any foothold. She groaned battling against the tingling of shock the hard ground gave to her limbs and she dragged herself over onto her hands and knees. Slipping her sore arms out of the loops of the bag she let it fall and didn't pay any mind to the contents that spilled out from the top. After struggling a moment with the clasp on the helmet, that too was dropped to the ground followed by the bulky black and green jacket. She shot her head up when the motor of the other rider roared from atop of the hill and the bike sped down with much more care and balance than her less than graceful tumble.

Ashlynn released the form of her other chakram and dug her heels into the wet ground, bent down for a split moment to grab onto the helmet to hurl it at the rider. It was shot down and Ashlynn dove slightly to the right and slammed the large bladed wheel into the front of the bike launching the rider over the heap of her bike. She bolted for the rider who ripped off her own helmet, revealing the person top be a female, and readied the crossbow at her again. Ashlynn slid across a patch of mud just narrowly being shot in the chest with the sharp bolts; scooping up the container of fuel, she unscrewed the top with a single twist and splashed the liquid in the face of the fast approaching female who thought to come in for closer combat.

The dark brunette shrieked clawing at her eyes with one hand while the other with the crossbow began pressing the trigger as she flailed that limb about in the hopes that there would be a hit but before she could regain herself and her sight Ashlynn stepped into her guard and landed a high kick against the girl's unprotected neck, snapping through the bone and flesh, instantly killing the girl.

Ashlynn fell to her knees panting and her adrenaline gone as she looked away from the girl's misshapen neck. "...That's four." She murmured mournfully. Ashlynn glanced back at the body, there wasn't a dumpster that she could lug the body to, but it wasn't like she could just leave it out where anybody could find it. She spied a cluster of trees a little up the slope that had a few bushed growing steadily around it. She nodded standing up and grabbed the body by the ankles and hid it along with the ruined remains of the other Yamaha bike, both helmets, and the jacket she had used beneath the brush and a couple armfuls of leaves. Before fully covering the corpse Ashlynn gingerly patted the girl down taking the pistol, mammon-chained ring, and box weapons off the girl and also took care to crush the communicating device the woman had to the Millefiore camp. It was stealing, yes, but it was also making sure that the opposing side had one less ring and box weapon to their disposal. If she found one the Vongola's allies she'd give it to them since she had no use for Rain attributed weapons. Gokudera could even use it for System C.A.I.

She picked the bike off of its side and happily found there was nothing wrong with it and while she had used the fuel to blind her opponent she still had plenty of flames to power the bike when the electricity went dead from the battery which was still a long while yet. Ashlynn slipped her arms back through the loops of her now secured bag then swung her leg over the bike and continued to ride north.

After thirty minutes of no other attackers following her Ashlynn stopped the bike to a full halt beside a large tree and turned the engine off. There was something white...running through the forest ahead of her and was coming in her direction. She tensed moving off the bike as the thing jumped closer and closer to her position but sighed in relief when a familiar long white haired swordsman in the Varia's future uniform leaped from one branch to another and when he was jumping from tree limb to the next one just a few feet away from where she was she chirped out happily.

"Squalo!"

The man's visible eye widened as he landed on the branch above her then dropped down to the earth in front of her. He opened his mouth, no doubt to yell but she beat him to the punch by throwing her arms around the assassin's waist, careful of the sword attached to his right hand. She had barely been in the future for barely a full day and she had to deal with being alone in a different country and having to kill two people made her so damn happy to see someone familiar even though he had been an 'enemy' not a full week ago in her present time.

"Ve, you're not crying are you, brat?" He placed a hand firmly on the top of her head and pried her face off of his chest.

"Not yet I'm not. I haven't even been here for an entire day yet and I've already killed two people!" She rubbed her eyes to keep away the tears and the weariness from adrenaline rush and lack of good sleep.

"A full day?" He nudged her back. "Voi! You mean to tell me you've been here longer than five minutes! What the hell! Is the Ten Year Bazooka malfunctioning! How long exactly have you been here?"

She stared up at him. "I've been here for more than ten hours."

"Shit. Definitely a malfunction."

"Must be. I was in a safe house where I found a letter addressed to me from my future self...I'm sorry, I don't have it anymore, Squalo. She said to burn it when I understood what was written."

He frowned at the almost glazed look in her eyes. "Before you pass the fuck out, sit down and tell me what else happened."

"The letter said to put Mammon's chains on my rings and told me I was to wait in the safe house until someone could come get me."

"Then what the hell are you doing out here, you stupid girl? You were put in there so you could hide and be safe!" He growled.

"The safe house has been compromised." She argued with narrowed eyes. "The alarms went off when they shouldn't have and I did hide! I hid in a place where no one would ever look to find a heavily pregnant woman!"

Squalo crossed his arms as he leaned against the trunk of the tree. "And just where the fuck would that be?"

"Underneath the kitchen sink."

"..."

"Yeah. I bet you wouldn't have thought to look there either. So I hid under the sink and overheard to two people talking in English. One of them was named Cameren."

"A high ranked Millefiore Captain...and the other?"

"A woman. I didn't hear her name, just that she had to leave soon otherwise her cover would be blown over and that the people she was staying with didn't trust very much in the first place despite her family associating with them."

"...Keep going."

She nodded. "I stayed underneath the sink until the last few people left and because I only had less than an hour to get out of there before a sentry came back to stake out the house, I packed a bag with clothes, food, and other things...the sentry came back earlier than I thought he would. Confronted me in the Ocean room and he shot the fish tank and then I shot him...then right at that moment one of his superiors wanted him to check in and thanks to a bit of insane luck the man on the microphone thought that I was one of his team members or something. He thought that the sentry had dumped his duties on another person and the guy asked if I would stay for the next night. I crushed the communicator thingy then dumped the body into the dumpster behind the house. Then I took this Yamaha from the garage and left the property without any alarms going off but within ten to twenty minutes some chick was following me on the red Yamaha" She explained unable to stop her rambling now that she had started. "She had a blue flame like Basil's and she shot this crossbow at me and for some reason my chakram lost its spark. I fell over forty foot hill and when she came down I threw my helmet at her then destroyed the bike and when she was about to shoot me again, I unscrewed the bottle of fuel and threw it in her face then I kicked her in the neck...and she died...I...I hid her and what's left of the red Yamaha in the bushes then I started riding again and I didn't know if I was going the right way cause I really had no idea where the fuck I was going but I figured if I could find civilization I could find my way back to Japan or something-."

He lightly punched the top of her head to interrupt her. "Voi, I've heard enough. How much gas does this thing have left in it?"

"About more than half? And the battery's at full charge."

He nodded briskly hauling her back onto her feet then moving the bike away from the tree and pointed it in the direction he just came from. "I'll drive. Hang on tight, brat."

* * *

><p>Reborn shook his head. "I can't go outside. So Yamamoto here will help you because he is much more familiar with how battle with the rings and boxes work. Yamamoto, all the Guardians in this time are still alive, correct."<p>

The Older male nodded. "There hasn't been any word on any of us being captured or killed. But there may be a slight problem with gathering our Lightning."

Tsuna frowned. "Why? What's happened to Ashlynn?"

"We couldn't afford to risk her so under your future self's orders she went into hiding." The older Yamamoto rubbed at the scar on his chin and explained before the question could even begin. "It's because she's about six months pregnant-"

"Six months?" Gokudera interrupted. "But we saw her not a few days ago and she was definitely not six months along! If anything she was about two or three."

"Aa. But you have to keep in mind that a decision in your guy's present can change the entire future. No pressure, huh? So right now she's in hiding and there are now only three people who know where she is...Tsuna used to be one of them..., and I don't know who the remaining three are." Yamamoto looked away.

"But seeing as we three are here already we can assume that all the Guardians will eventually switch with their future counterparts." Reborn nodded.

"Until your present Ashlynn switches then we'll have to get our Lambo."

Gokudera scowled. "Really? We have to depend on the stupid cow?"

* * *

><p>Ashlynn sat with her knees tucked into her chest staring at the fire between her and the future Squalo. Her hand was held in front of her with the light shining on the Vongola and Claddaugh rings. They had driven in mostly silence throughout the day with very little breaks.<p>

"Even if Tsuna of this time destroyed these rings, everyone still relied very heavily on them...Kind of defeats the purpose but I understand that Tsuna wouldn't want to had fuel to the flames if everyone was making such a big deal out of trying to steal them. Oh, yeah, I should give these to you. I also have a box of lightning rings that future me had with her."

The man raised an eyebrow when she tossed the blue ring and box weapon from the red rider.

She fidgeted under the searching stare. "She used a blue flame."

"And you figured that I could use it?"

"You were competing to be the 'Rain Guardian' ten years ago. I'm sure you have a rain affinity in you somewhere. If you don't want it then you can give it to someone else. I can't use it so I don't want to lug it around with me."

"Then why did you take it?"

"Because then that's one less ring and weapon the other side has."

Squalo smirked. "Good to know that even when you panic you still think of the bigger picture. Crossbows aren't my thing but I'll hold onto for it now…You have your future self's boxes?"

' Well, the bigger picture is all I have to work with...' Ashlynn nodded pulling all three off of her belt.

"Start with the Vongola ring and light it with your resolve."

"Resolve? And are you sure it's a good idea to take the chains off? The letter said I should keep it on…" Ashlynn questioned. 'I didn't try using the ring before because I could already channel lightning to my chakram...but it was also because I figured that being able to light the ring was plot-controlled and wouldn't work until someone other than myself explained it to me.'

"I'm more than enough if they bother to send someone this far out. And your resolve, it's your will to fight and other such bullshit."

"Aa." She pulled the chain off the ring and thought back to her meeting with the Ninth. How she wanted to keep them safe…

Squalo raised an eyebrow when the ring exuded a green sparking light. "Well, what do you know…most trash need thirty hours to be able to light their rings. Now put that spark into the hole on the box."

She did as instructed placing the Vongola ring into the hollow space of the box. She waited a moment before pulling her hand away and holding the box away from the fire and at the very last moment she remembered to say, "Who's that Pokemon?"

The box opened and two light green lights flew into the air above them before landing on the ground on either side of her. She gaped.

The swordsman smirked. "What is it, ragazza? Didn't think you'd get something so girly?"

'Mute Swans. My box weapon is two mute swans.' She closed her mouth and opened it again as she reached a hand slowly to the one on her right and the white bird leaned its, her, head into her hand. "No, I wasn't expecting something that can genuinely fuck you up."

"Ha! The future you said the same exact thing." Squalo snorted.

"They are very pretty." Ashlynn petted the other when it, he, she corrected herself butted his head at her free hand. The female on her right ruffled her feathery plumage. "And very territorial if I remember and thus very able to fuck you up."

"Now try the other box." Squalo nodded to the yellow cube.

She nodded allowing the two swans that she'd name later back into the box. She placed the Mammon chain back over the Vongola ring then pulled the chain off of the Claddaugh ring and made the same visualization as she had for the previous ring.

Nothing happened. Ashlynn pouted.

"Heh, got the lightning on your first try but it looks like you'll have to get used to the fact that you can channel sun flames as well."

Ashlynn tilted her head. "Bianchi once said that Reborn was sure I had another affinity…I guess sun makes sense…it's the healing one right?" Man, it was hard to ask questions she already knew the answers to.

"The sun attribute is activation and yes, simply put it is the healing factor. Lightning has the solidifying factor. Cloud is propagation, Rain is tranquility, Storm is disassembly, and Mist is obviously illusions and real illusions…." He stopped then suddenly put out the fire and hauled her closer to the trees.

Ashlynn gulped as she heard footsteps over leaves walked closer and closer to where they were camping for the night. She looked up at Squalo as he scowled and stalked away from her towards the bushes opposite of them. He disappeared into the dark for a few minutes; there was a noise of someone being hit and there was a male voice quietly complaining before Squalo came back with another person in tow.

Varia uniform. Teal hair. Froggy hat.

Fran.

The boy raised his hand in greeting. "Hello Nee-san~. Unn? You look younger and not very pregnant-y."

Ashlynn blinked. Squalo scowled harder smacking the top of the boy's hood. "VOI! I thought I told you to wait until I got back, you rookie trash!"

Fran flopped down on the ground next to the ashes of the fire. A quick strike of a match and a piece of paper and it started slowly back to life. Ashlynn crept forward curiously. He had called her his sister. The boy tapped where his ear was being covered by the hood. "Taicho, I don't like waiting and you weren't answering when I tried to talk to you."

"Because every time you used the line it was about something stupid!"

"Ehh? Taicho doesn't like small talk? I'll try to think of something more meaningful next time, okay?"

"Not 'okay'," Squalo growled.

Fran turned back to her and poked her flat stomach, his facial expression not changing at all ever since he appeared. "Neh, Nee-san, where'd your preggy belly go?"

"Um, because I'm not pregnant. I'm from the past." Ashlynn explained.

"Oh. Time travel?"

"Yeah."

Squalo scoffed. "Ashlynn, this is Fran. Mammon's dead so he's the illusionist we got to replace him."

"Is that why he has a frog hood? Because Mammon had a frog as a familiar?" Ashlynn pointed to the large hat.

Fran nodded. "The deranged prince is forcing me to wear it. I'd take it off now but he somehow know whenever it's not on my head. And When I do he stabs me with his stupid looking knives."

"Poor you." Ashlynn smiled sympathetically.

"We'll stay here for the rest of the night." Squalo announced sitting with his back to the closest tree a few feet away. "Because you abandoned your post, Fran, you get to take two guard shifts."

"What? But you're the one who didn't answer when I tried to contact you, Taicho."

"You take the first and second watch and I'll take the third. Ashlynn, go to sleep." The swordsman ordered closing his eyes.

"Um, okay then. Good night, Squalo. Fran." Ashlynn called laying down and using her bag as a pillow and within minutes fell asleep.

* * *

><p>A tapping on her cheeks woke her up and the first thing Ashlynn saw the next morning was the color teal. "Fran?" She murmured rubbing her eyes when he pulled away.<p>

"Good morning Nee-san. Taicho says to get up even though it's really early. I told him it was too early and he said that we have to make it to at least one check point today. So hurry up and eat so we can go. You should also go to the bathroom before we have to leave. You can sleep again in a little bit but you should get up right now."

"Okay." She yawned sitting up. She reached into her bag for the dried mango slices and chowed down on a handful. She noticed that Squalo was gone and the Yamaha bike was missing.

"Even when not pregnant you really like those." The boy rested his chin on his hand. "I tried them once and didn't like them."

"Different tastes. I really like them though at it was easy to pack with so little time. Looking at the kitchen where I was it seemed like my future self was living off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, broccoli covered in ketchup, potatoes, pasta, honey mustard, hot dogs and tortillas. There was other stuff but that was the stuff that was stocked in bulk." She shrugged "Where did Squalo go?"

"There's a town nearby. He's going to put the bike in storage and come back with a car because we can't fit three people on the bike."

"Makes sense to do that." She swallowed the rest of the liquid from her water bottle.

"He's the strategy commander of the Varia so he had good ideas."

Ashlynn stood up and left a little while to do her thing before coming back. Fran was poking at the ashes of the fire. She sat across from him. "You called me Nee-san last night."

"Because the older you lets me."

She nodded and the two looked up when a car horn was honked. Fran nodded taking the lead through the trees with Ashlynn following behind with her bag and the two walked until they found the road and Squalo waiting in another convertible, a dark blue one this time. Fran took the front passenger seat while Ashlynn climbed into the back.

"Go back to sleep Ashlynn."

"Mmmkay."

She ended up sleeping through the ride even with the sun shining on her face through the window. She missed out on the colorful scenery. Also missed out on Squalo using a communicator to tell someone else that it was her from the past and that she was fine.

However she didn't miss when Squalo suddenly slammed on the brakes, jolting her awake, and thankfully unharmed thanks to her seat belt. She rubbed at her eyes and took a second to remember where the hell she was. She pressed her hand against the back of Squalo's seat.

"What's going on? Are we stopping?"

The man grumbled pushing crouching before a bush and brushing away the foliage. "There's small checkpoint right here that has a password to it."

"Oh." Ashlynn said then blinked as Squalo began singing, pausing every line as if to ask why he was being subjected to this, but singing nonetheless a song she remembered from her childhood.

"Fighting evil by moonlight...Winning love by daylight...never running from a real fight...she is the one named Sailor Moon...she will never turn her back on her friends...she is always there to defend... she is the one on who we can depend... She is the one named Sailor Moon."

Ashlynn and Fran looked at each other then back to the swordsman and began to applaud for him.

"That was a good performance, Taicho. You paused a lot though…" Fran critiqued.

Squalo brought his fist down on the boy's head. "Shut up, Fran."

There was an amused chuckle from a woman that made Ashlynn look out the window. The scenery around them was as green as ever and they were surrounded on all sides by trees, but Squalo was parked right next to a speaker like one would find in a drive thru.

Squalo scoffed. The woman giggled. "Everything okay, Squalo?"

"I've got Fran and Niamh."

"Oh." The tone of voice changed. "Then I won't keep you. I'll see you later Squalo."

He put the car back into drive and pressed on the gas pedal "Alright. We're in the clear for now."

"...So what was-?" Ashlynn asked.

"To get into this place and a few others there are certain requirements you put." Squalo growled irritably. "Some have you sing a stupid shitty kids song, one of them has you do god damn interpretive dances that I'm sure you were drunk when you came up with them, and stupid ass phrases along with the thankfully normal boring shit we already have to do."

"Like?" She fished for an answer.

"...the very first one was the Poke rap of the first hundred and fifty original stupid ass Pokémon."

She snorted. 'And it worked?"

"..."

"Squalo?"

"A hell of a lot better than it was expected to."

Ashlynn laughed.

* * *

><p>A bit of a cliffy but I don't want to compile the whole future Arc into one chapter. As it is, a lot has happened in this chapter alone.<p>

I had previously planned that Ashlynn would have her animal box weapon to be a bear. It was even considered that her box weapon animal would be a cat just for a Thunder Cats reference. But when I researched more into swans, Mute swans in particular I fell in love with their spiritual symbolism and it fit so perfectly with Ashlynn's character.

Note: Dried Mango slices are freaking amazing. Shame they are like twelve dollars a bag, and so not exactly worth buying too many.

Ragazza: 'girl' in Italian


	24. Chapter 24

Greetings Fanboys and Girls~

These chapters took far too long to get out. I know! I was really planning on an update during the week of May 11th, But I was falling behind on a lot of things so thank you so much for the continued patience! Now:

-Just a heads up: I have some scenes somewhat worked out for a few of the pairing choices. So, when it comes down to the pairing in the end, whatever isn't used here in Caomhnoir will be put into a series of reader one-shots (Which I think its a good decision because some of them are pretty good~). One the note of the pairing for Caomhnoir, there is still going to be another poll. Because I have been using the polls, that means neither I or my lovely Beta know who Ashlynn will end up with.

-For those of you who are a little confused about the discrepancy about TYL Ashlynn's pregnancy: A decision in the present can change the future, simple as that. But for the question of 'So why don't they defeat Byakuran in the present instead of travelling to the future?' Because it was the only place within all of the parallel universes where Byakuran's demise was even possible, ridiculously difficult, but possible. There is also this to help you:

'Oh no, oh no...No no no...I- I fired it too early! A-Ashlynn-san! Wh-what am I going to do now! She was supposed to be one of the last ones to go! Aughh, It doesn't say anything about what to do if I mess up!" -Present Shoichi, chapter 23.

According to the instructions present Shoichi got from his future self, Ashlynn was supposed to be one of the last ones to switch into the future. The fact that she had been the very first (before Reborn) to be sent changes something. Is it solely responsible for the number of months she is married and pregnant? Is her pregnancy changed because of her dumbass idea of using the lightning poles to channel lightning and drop kicking Levi? No, there's a ton of unknown variables that have to be taken into account. but those are good examples of change. Any other time continuim stuffz will be explained later on~.

- A little editing thing I'm thinking about. Should I go back through all the chapters and make thoughts into Italics? It's something that my creative writing class has been trying to get me into the habit of doing. _'All my thoughts,_' Silver closed her eyes leaning back in her swivel chair. '_They would be like this sentence right here, that I am typing right now. I wonder if that would make it easier to tell the difference between dialogue and a character's thinking process.'_ So, Yay or Nay? I think it would be easier to tell which from which.

**LunaticSheep**: Thank you for the review~ And again, sorry for such a late update! Little Ashlynn really did meet Reborn and Tsuna (and her older self is mostly responsible for Flaithri's initial interest in Japan, thus ensuring that Ashlynn would later learn Japanese along with her brother). She just doesn't remember that she met them nor does she remember that she got a hat to emulate Reborn.

I didn't make up that little poem back in Chapter 21. It's a real saying. From a real Warlock grave. I remember my English teacher in high school assigned it as a writing prompt and I felt it had a nice fit into the story; thus I decided to reassign that assignment.

Yes, future Ashlynn called Hibari by his first name. Does it mean anything more than a familiarity between somewhat friends/comrades? Hee Hee, you can dream M'Dear, but that has yet to be confirmed.

And finally in regards to Ashlynn's flames. Her character does make you think she would be well-suited to have Rain flames as her secondary affinity because of her underlying somberness; But anyone would be sad to leave home in the manner that she did and she is overcoming that sadness. What pressed me to choose Sun flames over Rain is that there is a 'Guiding light' quality that she has. She's the eldest of the Guardians and she finds herself trying to be a good role model for them, even with them all being ingrained into the the most powerful and influential mafia Family in the world. The Sun flame also explains her innate healing ability.

**Mel:** Thanks for the review! The thing about future Ashlynn expecting the future Arc for her previous self, and knowing that just about anything her past self does holds the power of of changing her present: Well, I guess I could describe it as...the moment Ashlynn was pulled in from the bazooka it added her self to the Reborn universe and it's many timeframes (Some born within that universe and some not, some alive and some dying: The time continuim is a tricky thing to deal with. Too many options). This present Ashlynn is the original.

So, my point: Ashlynn lived through all the events to the ten years later point knowing she would be switched with her past self. Because everyone lived to that point the first time through. Then you add in the plan Tsuna, Hibari, and Shoichi came up with and put into motion which gives us the switching. The best I can say is that they all had to live up to that point first otherwise the past selves wouldn't have had to go to the future in the first place.

I hope I did not just confuse you even more.

**Kurohanefuyu** made another piece of fan art for Caomhnoir and It. Is. Amazing~! It showcases a cupcake, an awesome looking Ashlynn, a very accurate sketch of Ran (it looks very close to my original. It's like she read my mind or something~), and a gun. Seriously Fanboys and girls, go check it out~ The link has been provided on my profile so mosey on over to take a look~.

* * *

><p><strong>The future influences the present just as much as the past.<strong>

**-Friedrich Nietzsche**

**One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.**

**-George Allen, Sr.**

* * *

><p>"Hey Squalo? I know it's a little late to ask and I get that we're in Italy, but... where exactly the hell are we?"<p>

He glanced back her through the rear view mirror, opened the console between him and Fran and handed her a small screen that looked like her IPod. She pressed the small button on the top and a map appeared on the surface.

"The safe house is about five miles north of San Donato di Ninea. When I found you, you were north of that and about nine miles away from Mormano. This morning we were outside of Spoleto. We'll be passing Ferrara in a little bit and we'll be stopping in Vicenza for another checkpoint which will take another five hours driving. We'll meet with an Uccello there. After that we're going further north to your base."

Ashlynn nodded finding the places he said. "...My base? And...an Uccello?"

Fran twisted his body within the seat belt to look back at her. "The one we're heading for is in Reschensee. And it's easy enough to tell that it's one of your bases because you're the only one that has really cool passwords."

The swordsman made a disagreeing noise in his throat but otherwise did not comment so Fran continued his explanation.

"Originally it was just something small scale created out of boredom and used to amuse yourself (and probably to blackmail) when there were new recruits to troll or when pervert Levi had to send a report through you to Boss Tsunayoshi. But when it turned out to be pretty effective you started using it for the bases under your command. Most of it is really ridiculous, some more than others. Like the one time Levi showed up at the gates wearing a banana costume, was shaking maracas, and singing that it was 'Peanut Butter Jelly Time'. He hasn't realized it yet, but he's the only one who is required to dress up. He also doesn't know that you've kept a record of every single 'pass code' he's done in a file named 'Butt Monkey'.

"Oh really?" She smirked after a few moments of laughter. 'Serves him right for stabbing through my stomach with an umbrella.'

"Un~." Fran nodded a finger tapping his cheek. "I heard a rumor that early on the Boss had to sing about how nice it was to make friends."

'Tatta Latta...?' Ashlynn snorted. "Xanxus? Did he do it?"

"It was back when this shit was still on the small scale. He blasted the speaker into nothing before kicking the sentry guard's ass." Squalo answered derisively. "It was then decided that there would be people exempt from having to go through checkpoints and give crappy passwords. These people were the Arcobaleno, Boss, Tsunayoshi, and that Hibari guy. The Arcobaleno are a given but for the other three there would be a target for them to destroy with their flame or box weapon to prove their identity."

"Hmm...You said that it's only my bases that have these kind of passwords right?"

Squalo nodded.

"Has anyone tried to use one of the cool passwords to a base that did not use them?" She asked passing the electronic device to Fran. He switched the button off then placed it back into the console.

"We get a lot of those at our bases. What happens is that we'll either lead them into a cell or they'll get used for live target practice." Fran said.

"I'm going to guess that because I came up with it, my future self doesn't have to use the codes much?"

Fran shrugged. "You give it when you think it's funny enough but other times you just don't bother and use the target."

Squalo switched lanes on the highway. Now that they were in a car with tinted windows they could travel somewhat safely on major roads. "If we had been anyone else there would have been a lot more to go through. Technically there is only one more but there is the normal crap we have to do when we get to the base. Like actual pass codes with numbers and DNA scans."

"Do I need to do that?" She asked.

The swordsman shook his head and raised a hand to brush his hair away from his face. "I'll vouch for your identity if someone has a fucking problem."

"Thanks Squalo~."

"Humph."

"Taicho is getting flustered because of a mere thank you~" Fran teased. Ashlynn found it even more funny because the boys' expression still had yet to change.

"Voii! Don't make me kick out of this car, Rookie!" Squalo snarled once, then again as he lifted his hand again, but to his ear. "The fuck do you want?"

"..."

Ashlynn looked over to Fran confused to who the man was talking to. He lifted his own hand to his ear and mouthed the word 'walkie-talkie'. She nodded in understanding and sat back in her seat.

"...Got it. We'll meet you there then, brat."

"What's the plan now, Taicho?" Fran asked as they merged onto a ramp changing their route east instead of north.

"Time is still the same but we're going to Verona instead of Vicenza. We're going to a damn monastery."

"Monastery?" Ashlynn switched her attention away from the window.

"Aa. that one then, San Zeno Maggiore. A nun thought you were a woman from behind once because of your hair, right Taicho?" Fran queried.

Ashlynn snorted.

"One more crack, Fran, and you can walk the rest of the fucking way!"

The threat held for the rest of the forty-five minute driver and Ashlynn had the experience to watch in wonder at the mostly white bricked houses with red clay roofs they came closer and closer to as they drove over a bridge and in through the cobble stoned roads passing by a stadium until they stopped, parking between two buildings and Squalo motioned for them to get out. Ashlynn unbuckled herself from her seat belt and followed the white haired man around the building, with Fran beside her. They walked away from the alley onto the main street towards the old, washed out, white bricked church between a building and a brick tower, with a large circle on the top portion of the building with stained glass panels surrounding a smaller circle in the shape of a flower. They walked up to the steps just as the wooden double doors opened and a young woman stepped outside onto the porch with two stone lions laying in guard. In a flowing black skirt that fell past her knees, a short sleeved white button up, and long laced up black boots.

She nodded at the two Varia then turned her eyes on Ashlynn and smiled. "Hey, Nee-chan."

Ashlynn focused her attention back to the church instead of the surrounding area. She blinked once, and then twice at the dark brown hair pulled into two low braids and green eyes that were sparkling at her. 'Dolly...? No that's not...' She tilted her head opening her mouth then closed it, much to the female's amusement. "Birdy?" Ashlynn ventured.

"Surprised?" The teen closed the gap of twelve steps between them and threw her arms around Ashlynn's waist. The time traveler noted that they were about the same height though she still had about three or four inches on the other girl as she returned the embrace. "It's you from the past...but I'm always happy to see you, big sis."

"Wonderful reunion," Squalo said sarcastically. "Let's get a fucking move on, Birdy; we can't stay for too long. And while we're on the topic that it's her from the past, you better keep your mouth shut about it."

"I figured that would be the case on both accounts." Came the flat reply and Birdy let go. "Inside then. Oh, and you'll be happy to know that Sister Dominique isn't here, Squalo. She's taken a trip to Roma and won't be back for two months so you don't have to worry about your manliness being questioned again."

The older Birdy let them enter in front of her and she shut the doors behind them. "This way," she said taking the lead over the white and cream checkered tiles into the high ceiling room with the isles of benches in front of an altar. "Basilica di San Zeno dedicated to Saint Zeno. See that statue over there? That would be him." She explained for Ashlynn's benefit as they made a beeline to a door in the back. "This building is famous because it its architecture is really old, the wheel of fortune stained glass that you saw from the outside, and also the tradition that the crypt is the place where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were married."

"Cool."

Birdy hummed nodding her head to a passing nun and held the door open for them that lead into a grassy area. They passed this and entered another building, the abbey, Birdy explained as she continued down a hallway to the furthest room that turned out to be a study. She let them in before entering herself and pulling the door shut then moving to sit behind the large brown desk and pulled out a few files. "From the last time we saw each other, Squalo; we've found six of their bases and have taken three of them from the Millefiore and its allies. And in retaliation, five our bases have been destroyed and three of them have been tracked."

"Fuck. Which ones?"

Birdy opened a file and spread five pictures across the desk and pointed each one in turn. The first two were a single tall hotel and a cluster of three worn out apartment buildings on an abandoned strip on a beach, the third and fourth were both pictures of grassy hills and the ruins of what looked like castle fortresses and the final one was what was left of a large bell tower Birdy pointed to each one in turn. "Beach walk Base, Grecthen Underground, Castle Vodka, Mesen Fortress and Zanarkand Tower. Altogether we've lost twenty-eight men. And not to mention that fourteen rings and nine boxes are unaccounted for. The forts they've found but have yet to attempt to take are Angela's Summit, The Marble Tower, and Beryl's Crypt.

Squalo growled slamming his fist on the table making Ashlynn jump in surprise from the action. "Fucking trash! Those places are important!"

Birdy nodded not really minding the man's outburst as she the pictures back into the folder. Fran merely stared up at the ceiling poking his pinkie finger into his ear to clear the canal of wax or to pop his ears.

"Add San Donato di Ninea." The swordsman swore.

Birdy frowned looking up at the man. "Are you serious? But isn't that one of our most-"

"Not anymore it's not. They tracked the place down the moment the brat was switched with her older self." Squalo jerked his head in her direction. "She's escaped capture along with her life because she hid under the fucking kitchen sink when the alarms went off. According to her they believe that they just missed her and that they were going to stakeout the place until one of us entered the property thinking it was still safe. The brat took out the sentry when he confronted her then took one of the bikes, was followed, and killed that person before I found her. Out of that we got a rain ring and a rain weapon box."

"Is it a useful one?"

He shook his head. "It's a fucking crossbow."

"There's also the box of lightning rings with two of each grade that my future self had in the night stand..." Ashlynn provided.

The other girl raised an eyebrow. "And you knew enough of this time to take them?"

"There was letter addressed to me by me." She shrugged not giving anymore on the matter despite the curious look she was getting for not continuing.

"Hmmm, so add in that sis has a double set of rings at her disposal we make up for what we've lost ring wise plus a few extra. The rest of my report is in this." Birdy handed over a file to Squalo who snatched it out of her hands and left the room. Birdy gave them both an apologizing look. "Not that I don't trust you two with the information, I do, but what's in that folder is kind of sensitive and an eyes only report."

"That's okay, Birdy." Fran blew on the pad of his pinkie.

"...So," Ashlynn prompted curiously. "'Castle Vodka'? Zanarkand?"

Birdy snickered. "Zanarkand because of a video game I played and there was another one that I got to name Isengard (a movie) because I called dibs to name a few of the bases. And the other one is actually called Castle Vadbka; the ruins of the original castle were restored a long time ago and we've been using it as one of our forts. The moniker came from Lambo, who either didn't hear it right when it was said to him or he just couldn't pronounce it so he christened it to Castle Vodka. Since then the nickname sort of stuck."

"It also helped that Boss was usually seen drinking vodka there." Fran added in.

"Also," Birdy continued. "When you say Castle Vodka, people think you made a structure made from only vodka bottles...We did do that once to throw off a few Famiglia over the years. We made a tower building about five feet high made only of vodka bottles with a two foot high fence around it with more bottles. It's actually still standing today. We also get some tourists over there too."

"That fort's construction was all thanks to Boss's excessive drinking." Fran said as Ashlynn imagined what that might have looked like to a group of Millefiore who were expecting to storm an actual castle.

The door opened again a few minutes later and Squalo motioned for them to follow. "It's time to move on."

"Aa. I suppose I can't keep you here much longer and I need to be out of the country by nightfall." Birdy agreed standing up to follow them out of the study and linked arms with Ashlynn when they stepped into the hallway. "I'll see you out~."

"Hey Birdy?"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you in school right now?" She asked.

The girl nodded as they took the lead. "I am, studying law, that is. Right now I'm playing lawyer slash informant for the Varia thanks to their main one, Gianluca, is looking to retire from his post and no one else wants the spot. So now he's training me up to take his place. He's a real character that one. He's got the school convinced that I have some sort of apprenticeship with him, though that's really not a lie. Thanks to the old guy I'm ahead of my class. Alright, I guess I'll see you guys when I see you. Be safe."

Squalo snorted stepping through the church's threshold and back into the street with Fran. Ashlynn stayed back a moment to hug the girl. "You stay safe too, Birdy."

"Sure thing. Love you Nee-chan."

"I love you too."

"VOOOOOOI! Let's get a move on, you damn brat!"

"Better get going before he comes back and carries you off like a sack of potatoes. And he'd do it too." Birdy rolled her eyes letting go so Ashlynn could catch up to the two. She then called out to the Varia captain. "I'll tell Sister Dominique that you said hi!"

"You better not you piece of trash! Brat! Let's go, we've got another two hours on the road!"

Ashlynn looked behind her to wave but the ten years older version of the girl had already shut the doors. '...Hunh.'

The trio got back into the car and traveled through the streets to get back on the highway road in silence and the only time conversation would pop up was when they passed a place of interest and they told her the name of the town or city and if they had people or a base there. Otherwise the trip was spent staring out the window until a lake appeared.

Ashlynn raised an eyebrow as Squalo began to slow down and parked into a garage. "Are we here?"

"Not yet, Nee-chan. We got to get on a boat for the rest of the way."

"A boat?" She blinked sling her bag over her shoulder.

She followed Squalo's lead as they walked alongside of the road to a small building where a guard sat swordsman glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Have to give a stupid ass password right here. You better not fuck it up."

Ashlynn tripped a little in her step as he strode forward and she raced with Fran to catch up. "You say that, yet you don't tell me what it is?"

"Vegeta," Fran said when they were in front of the guard. "What does the scouter say about his power level?"

She whipped her head to the teal haired boy and moved to say something, that is, before Squalo slapped his real hand over her mouth then yelled. "It's over NINE THOUSAND!"

Fran continued the scene. "What? Nine thousand. That can't be right."

Squalo let go of her face and nudged her forward to say the final line. She shook her head beyond amused. "I think that's right. Kaoken."

The man in the booth like building tipped his hat to them with a shit eating grin on his face as they walked passed it to the shore of the lake a few meters away. Ashlynn managed to keep a straight face right up to the moment they were about to board a motorboat built to hold at least hold fifteen people comfortably. But the broad smile on the boat captain's face was just too much and doubled over falling into a seat in laughter.

"VOOOOI! Shut your trap, Trash!" Squalo yelled.

It only served to make her laugh harder. Ashlynn tried to catch her breath and rubbed away tears from her eyes. "Hahahaha! O-oh Brighid! M-my, Hahahaha, future self is awesome! Ehehahaha~!"

"Brat!"

"You have to admit, Taicho that was pretty fu-."

The man waved the sword now re-attached to his fake hand. "VOOOI! You shut the hell up, rookie! "

She snorted before having another laughing fit. "Ahahahah, oooh~, hehe, hahahaha, oh I-I'm dying~ Hahaha!"

"If you don't stop I'll really show you what you'd look like dying!" He threatened.

Ashlynn covered her mouth with her hands and tried to smother her giggling but every little while a few would break through. It really wasn't her fault. The man at the wheel kept giving her knowing glances and that added with Squalo's glaring only made it funnier.

Squalo scowled at her but nodded behind her in the direction they were going. "We're here, fucking scum." He walked over to the side of the boat.

That ultimately made her stop as she turned around in her seat looking for some kind of building but only saw more water and what looked to be a bell tower from a church steeping out from beneath the watery surface. "This? But it's- oh. Crap, it's underwater, isn't it?"

Fran nodded as they followed. Squalo stepped up on the ledge of the boat just as they reached the side that couldn't be seen from the shore, then reached for the wall and hefted himself over a few bricks and indents in the stone work to an opening that he climbed into. Once he was in Fran did the same thing then held out his hands for Ashlynn to throw her bag up. She did then she shakily climbed onto the ledge and hopped to the wall, nearly losing balance but was able to hold on. She slowly climbed her way up as the boat went back to the shore. Once she made it to the opening Fran grabbed her arm and helped her into the tower. There was a latch in the floor that was pulled up and a ladder leading down into the depths. Fran put his arms through the bag and motioned for her to go first after Squalo. She crawled in backwards, reaching her feet for a bar then stepped down bar after bar, thankful for the small lights built into the sides so she could see. Fran waited for her to go down part ways before he too crawled in, closed and locked the hatch before he began the descent.

At the bottom there was a steel door that was open thanks to Squalo. There were a few pieces of metal on either side of the threshold that held light laser beams. Squalo entered through it just fine so she figured that it was the barrier that kept the Non-Trinisette out of the base just like the one in Namimori.

"This one of the many locations that have been created from ruins, towns or cities that have been flooded or destroyed. Basically we look for anyplace that has been abandoned by the civvies, buy the land off of whoever owns it, and then fix it up so we can do whatever the hell we want with it." Squalo explained as they walked down a hallway and into an elevator. "This one actually gives us profit. That guard collects a fee then the boat's captain gives a ride around the tower. The fact that it's a base is obviously unknown to the public."

"We're underwater~..." Ashlynn said. "Don't get me wrong, it's pretty cool, but I can't help but think of the worst possible scenario where the water leaks in then we get crushed or we drown..."

"I don't like it much either but it's something you'll just have to get used to, brat. But the base is about half underwater. The other have is underneath the mountain. And this one is pretty small compared to the others. Our largest underwater base is aptly called 'Atlantis'." The man shrugged.

"How fun~."

"Ne, Taicho. How long will we be here?" Fran asked as the doors opened to another hallway.

"Che. I've got a hit to take care of further north. But we'll be using this base for three days, four at the most before we switch to another one when our next job comes up. And that's only if nothing drastic happens to make us get there earlier." He said stepping on but held the side so the doors wouldn't close just yet. "Rookie, make sure she knows where her room is then meet me down in the training rooms. I need to report then I'll meet you there." Squalo nodded then turned around and walked away and the doors closed.

The room that was designated to be hers was easy enough to get to and remember where it was. So after dropping her bag off on the bed she followed Fran back to the elevator and they went further down to get to a training ground where Squalo was waiting for them with a tall brunet in a black suit beside him.

"Good afternoon," The man greeted in English. Ashlynn nodded in thanks. "My name is Vittore Palladini. I'll be in charge of your training regime while you are here."

"I know who you are." Fran tilted his head. "And I already went through the regime. And she's the one who initially trained you."

Vittore shook his head. "I was introducing myself to her."

Ashlynn tilted her head as well unconsciously in the same manner and direction as Fran beside her. "But you're not supposed to introduce yourself. It's supposed to be another-"

Squalo growled. "Brat, Palladini. Palladini, brat. There, you've been fucking introduced and while it's good to be suspicious of anyone that introduces themselves to you, right now we don't have the god damn time. Besides, he would have been dead and in a ditch somewhere if he wasn't who he said he was."

Vittore gave the man a hard stare. "Thank you, Signore, for that wonderful image."

"Whatever, trash." the swordsman crossed his arms and placed his attention back on her. "You need to understand, brat that we're in a state of emergency; The Vongola Headquarters was destroyed a few days ago and anyone with even the remotest tie to the Family is being hunt down with extreme prejudice. And this is including many of our associates. Added onto that we've lost contact with the Ninth, many members of the Cedef, and practically half of Algar's forces including Algar himself."

"The Guardians of the Family are spread out across the globe and Don Tsunayoshi...Well, I don't know what's happened to him." Vittore confessed.

"Probably hiding, the trash." Squalo scowled.

Ashlynn struggled to keep her face cleared. 'He's dead you asshole.'

"Right now we need all the manpower we can get our hands on." Vittore smiled thinly pressing a purple flamed ring into a box, catching a lance and pointing it at her. "You better get used to the feeling that your life is on the line, Signora; because from here on out, it is."

What followed next was the first of many ass-kicking's Ashlynn would receive. She was barely able to keep with the man for twenty minutes and every ten from then on he would step up his attacks and she was finding it harder and harder to block every swishing strike that targeted her body. The shirt and slacks she was wearing had a myriad of tears in them with shallow scratches from where she had been hit from the edge of the lance.

"This isn't just a regular weapon fight, Signora." Vittore chided cutting through the wire that connected the chakram to Ashlynn's hand. The weapon continued its arc until it wedged itself into the wall behind him. "It is safe to uncover your rings and use your boxes. You know what? Go ahead, let out your box animal."

Ashlynn nodded flaring up the Vongola ring and letting out the two white swans from the box.

"Cigni Fulmine... what you need to know about the boxes is that a certain flame can only open a certain box." Vittore explained breaking through her guard again. "Example: I only have a cloud flame which means I can only use cloud rings and cloud box weapons. If I tried with any other box that I did not have an affinity with, then it wouldn't open. These boxes were constructed by three scientists, but it was thanks to tipping off what you knew about gems and minerals that broke the way for different graded rings."

"M-me?"

"That's right, Nee-san. You always did know a lot about gem properties and how the more transparent the more rare they were." Fran called out from his spot, sitting against the wall. Squalo had left for his mark within the first five minutes of the fight.

Ashlynn blinked as a few feathers from the flying birds drifted on a draft down around them. One caught on her chakram where it crackled but the plumage did not disintegrate as she thought it would. Vittore nodded his head and waited patiently for her to do whatever with a small smile. 'Hmmm...what if I...?' She snatched the feather and channeled lightning through it just as both swans beat their wings. The fallen feathers stood up straight with the points down and cast a net of electricity nearly tripping over Vittore.

The man smiled a little more. "Fulmine Piuma Nido, based off of Signore Levi's Levi volta but ground based opposed to his air one. Very good, Signora. This is one of the many attacks you will have to perfect. Now let us try that again but with a little more subtlety. It wouldn't work so if you channel your flame so obviously. And another note, you do not need to direct Cigni Fulmine's every action. They are sentient because of your will and your flame and they will instinctively know what you need to have done."

"So if I think of them pecking your eyes out right when they come into existence then they'll do it?" Ashlynn asked a little sourly as he shot forward and landed another hit against her side.

"If that's what-!"

Ashlynn squeaked as the two bird launched themselves, flapping wings and all, at the man's face and chest knocking him over on his feet from the force. Ashlynn was even more surprised that there was a bit of gust from the powerful beats and that sparks were catching at Vittore's suit.

"Aa-! Stop! That's good!" Ashlynn called reaching her hands out to the birds. The male perched on her right should and wrapped his long neck around hers and after a final peck into Vittore's side the female strutted over to Ashlynn's feet. "V-Vittore?" She asked the fallen male. "Are you alright?"

He groaned pulling himself up into a sitting position. Ashlynn winced at the sight of blood and the crookedness in his nose. His left eye was also beginning to swell not to mention all the scratches along the skin of his face and neck and the few tears in his suit.

Fran gave her a thumbs up. "Good job Nee-san~."

"E-eh?" Ashlynn gaped. "Um, maybe we should stop? Vittore...?"

The answer to that was Vittore putting both hands over his nose and pushed it back into place with a loud pop that sent a shiver goose bumps over her arms and the back of her neck. After a few experimental rubs to make sure his nose was back where it was supposed to be, The man stood back up and used his foot to kick his fallen lance into the air before catching it. "Thank you. But if I had been an enemy then-."

"If you had been I wouldn't called them off unless we needed you alive." Ashlynn finished. '...Not something I want to end up doing...but it'll one day be necessary...'

Vittore nodded and his ring flared again splitting his lances into two. "Let's continue Signora."

Ashlynn's face turned grim as they shot forward to clash, she maneuvered so a lance would go through the hole of her remaining large chakram and forced her strength to pull it out of the man's grip. It was successful but he merely made another with the cloud flame. 'This is going to be like Yann...crap.'

* * *

><p>Lal Mirch's eye twitched. She had decided, thanks to Reborn bringing up memories that were best in the recess of her mind, that she would impart the basics of how fighting went about in this era. She had also decided that the very moment one of them began to slack off or fall behind, she was going to consider them a lost cause, and a waste of her time, before moving on ahead without if they couldn't grasp the lessons she had to give then that was their and Reborn's problem to deal with. Lal had other important things to do other than babysit a bunch of weak children, like finding the person who had killed Colonello before she died herself from the effects of the Non-Trinisette.<p>

She scowled stalking into the kitchen where everyone had gathered and snapped at her new 'recruits'. "Listen up!"

Kyoko opened her mouth in a shocked 'o' from beside a smirking Reborn and the mechanic Giannini. 'Who is this...?'

Lal stared down the three boys. "The basic knowledge you need to know and the fighting methods used...I'll hammer them into your skulls."

"Then...then you'll-" Tsuna started forward with his arm in a sling, but the older woman began talking again.

"For some reason the enemy has sent much more powerful opponents than we have anticipated. The Black Spell that you fought- if it had been the whole squad assembled before you, you wouldn't have stood a chance regardless of you holding the Vongola rings."

Tsuna swallowed remembering the battle and how the future Kyoko had reverted to her younger self. "The Black Spell?"

"The Millefiore is the result of two Families merging together." Lal growled. "The up-and-coming Gesso Famiglia led by Byakuran. And a Family with as much history as the Vongola, the Giglio Nero Famiglia, led by Yuni. Those from the Gesso wear a white uniform and are called the White Spell, while those from the Giglio Nero wear Black and thus are called the Black Spell. It is said that the White Spell has more precision and cunning battle tactics while the Black Spell has more frontal assualt members in their groups."

"Whoa! What's gotten into you so suddenly? Giving us this information now?" Gokudera bit out sourly.

"O-oi." Yamamoto tried to chide but it was ignored.

Lal huffed. "Don't worry about it. If you fall behind I have no problem with leaving you while I go on ahead with my own marks."

'She's the devil!' Tsuna despaired.

"You're first lesson with me will be on the box weapons. And your first objective is to open a box that has never been opened before."

"N-never been opened before?" Tsuna repeated. "What does that have to do with our training."

"Stop whining. Do want the instruction or not?" Lal demanded.

Tsuna raised his good arm. "N-no, we'll do it!"

"Hmmph. Reborn, is there a place here where we can train?" Lal queried.

He shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Miss, there is a training room in the basement that should suit your needs."

Lal nodded curtly. "Sounds good. Will you lead the way?"

"Of course, this way please." Giannini took the front as they group left the kitchen.

Kyoko frowned. She didn't really like that she was being left behind even if she was about to start making a meal for everyone but even the kids were following so, surely it wouldn't be a problem if she tagged along, would it? They probably wouldn't even notice if she was quiet enough.

Reborn stopped "Kyoko?"

She jumped. "Y-yes, Reborn-kun?"

"If you want..."

Kyoko shook her head. "Go on ahead, Reborn-kun. I need to finish up here anyway. But, I really would like to know what's going on with the boys...N-not that your explanation wasn't informative, Reborn-kun! But I..."

"Fnn. I'll talk to Tsuna but, remember our first meeting, Kyoko." He said cryptically before leaving the kitchen as well.

'Our first meeting...?' Kyoko smoothed out the apron she had found. 'Was there something back then that can explain further about what's going on? And what about that woman...Oh! I never got the chance to introduce myself! She's really pretty, and that gorilla on her shoulder is really cute...'

Reborn stepped into the elevator with everyone before the doors shut and Giannini pressed a button for one of the lowest floor. The mechanic was explaining more about the hideout.

"...The total surface area, though, is about one and a half times the size of the San Siro Stadium in Italy. The electrical power is supplied through our own generator but also runs off of geothermal energy."

"I'm not sure if I understand the details..." Tsuna confessed. "But it sounds incredible."

"Yeah, it's like a secret hideout!" Yamamoto laughed.

Gokudera rubbed his temples irritably. "It_** is**_ a secret hideout, you moron."

"Aa. We're here; at B08." Giannini announced as the elevator stopped and the doors opened and the group filed into the massively spaced room. "If that's all, I'll return to my repair work.

"Thanks!" Yamamoto waved.

"By the way," Lal stared looking around the expanse of the room, finding to her liking. "I'll assume that because she isn't here, you haven't been able to find your Lightning Guardian."

Tsuna flinched back a little. "N-no. We were told that she went into hiding and that only a small number knew where she was. You...you don't-?"

"If I knew where she was I wouldn't have asked, Sawada."

"Eto, we were also told that we'd have to rely on Lambo of this present...but when he and future I-pin brought the future Kyoko to the base...all three of them switched with their younger selves." Tsuna hesitantly informed the older woman. '...Kyoko-chan switched but, all we know about the future Haru is that she was on sort of trip overseas and was being 'protected'...I hope so.'

"Where is he then?"

On top of Yamamoto's shoulder, Reborn pointed to the child that rushed out into the area in front of Lal, screeching at the top of his lungs to hear the echo sound throughout the room. "There he is. The lump of hair that's barely worth noticing."

"Lambo, don't move!" I-pin cried running after him.

"Neh, Neh, we'll play tag in the big room! I-pin's it! I-pin's it!" The cow child slapped his butt mockingly before scurrying off.

I-pin followed after him. "Lambo, not fair!"

Lal Mirch merely stared, watching the ridiculous display from the child as Tsuna tried to call out to the boy to be a little quieter and Gokudera was scowling at 'Idiotic cow'.

"While we wait for information on Ashlynn, we are to use him." Reborn told her.

She turned away. "I don't see anything."

'Sh-she! She erased his existence altogether from her mind!" Tsuna gasped.

At that moment Lambo barreled through the entrance of the door, looked back and stuck his tongue out at I-pin. "Gyahahahaha! You'll never catch me!"

"Lambo wait!" she cried following him out the door.

Tsuna sighed.

Lal turned around again to face them. "Before training begins, I ask one thing: you cannot keep up with half-hearted determination. Are you really determined? Are you really resolved to fight in this war?"

"Yes." Yamamoto nodded.

Tsuna agreed. "Yes, I'll do it."

"Of course! And I'll prove it to you anytime!" Gokudera reinforced.

"Then I do not ever want to hear the words 'I can't'. Anyone who complains will be 'corrected' without mercy."

'Wow,' Tsuna gulped. 'She's really scary...even though I'm grateful I can't help but be scared of what we're going to have to do...'

* * *

><p>The first night at Reschensee Vittore didn't allow them to stop until it was a struggle for her to even stand on her feet. He sent her off with Fran to get something to eat from the kitchen staff with orders to go straight to bed afterwards. Then the following three days consisted of the very same thing they did before: fight to the brink of exhaustion. The only good thing she could see out of the short term rewards was that she was learning to be more creative with her flame.<p>

Lightning had a solidifying factor. From Vittore's explanation she could make things hard. An innuendo died at her lips when Vittore cut in (both metaphorically and literally with a lance) and told her to keep focus on their fight rather than being funny. And adding the point that her future self had already used what she was about to say.

Continuing on the conversation of flames, the lightning flame could be used as a shield which worked wonderfully against Vittore's attacks in the beginning of their fights. Though after a while it took more effort than she could afford to bring it up so it was decided that it would be used, it was much easier to harden something than it was to conjure up a shield in front of her. Example: a normal couch or a regular wooden table would have bullets flying through it and through anyone who was taking cover from it. But with the solidifying factor she could harden the mass of whatever she was hiding behind making that couch or table at least as hard as concrete. Making that object shoot out electricity at random intervals was pretty cool and sort of made up for that bit of training where Ashlynn had to either dodge or taken cover while Vittore sent lances, bullets, and explosives her way.

And they were still using that table she used for coverage at meal time.

Ashlynn took a bite out of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and swallowed. "Fran mentioned that I was the one who trained you, Vittore...so I know you well enough in my future?"

"Yes Signora. For a while you mostly worked under Signore Algar's and Signore Coyote's tutelage; it was through the former that I was introduced to you. And after a few years in service I became your second in command." Vittore said before taking a bite out of his own sandwich. Pastrami. Fran already finished with his handed his plate to one of the staff. He was now sitting backwards on the wooden chair with his arms crossed on top of the furniture as he waited for them. They would be meeting with Squalo outside when they were finished.

Vittore placed his cup down after a drink. "How much do you know of our hierarchy?"

"Godfather at the top with his heir being the underboss, the right hand man...consi...consigill?"

"Consigliore."

"Yeah. And there's also the head of Cedef. Then...captains?" Ashlynn shrugged not knowing much else.

"You're right so far. The top is the Godfather who is the Boss of his Family and the Boss of the Bosses that he is allied with. Beneath him (or her. Vongola Ottavo was female) is the Boss' heir who will later on take over the reins of the Family; this person would be the Underboss. The Cedef is actually a special case in that we don't have much contact with them besides biweekly reports or when there is a crisis like what we have now. Moving on, the Boss has a number of Caporegime's, or lieutenants: These would be the Guardians and one of these would be the right hand man. With me so far?"

Ashlynn nodded.

"You have me as your second in command but that is not to say that all the Guardians have someone as their right hand. Going further, under the Guardian's command there are Capo's or Captains..."

"But isn't a Captain higher in rank than a lieutenant?"

"That would be correct if this was the military. In the mafia the Caporegime outranks the Capo."

"Okay."

"Moving on, those Capo's have crews of buttons numbering from five men to twenty..." Vittore paused at her confusion and allowed her to ask.

"Buttons?"

"A phrase we use to call the Soldati, the soldiers. You might know them as 'wise guys', 'goodfella's' or 'Men of Honor'. Then at the very bottom there are the associates: people who work with us regularly but isn't a part of the actual Family. An example would any of the hired guns or any establishments that do business with us."

"Alright." Ashlynn said. "But returning to my first trail of thought: You know my future self well enough right? You can call me Ashlynn."

He shook his head grinning. "Your future self has said the same thing many times but I still have yet to drop the honorific. And a man to man talk with your husband kept me in the habit..."

"Rumor has it you soiled yourself, Palladini." Fran stuck his pinkie in his ear.

The man flushed. "I certainly did not!" He cut himself off right there and took a deep breath. "I apologize. I did not release myself but I am...very wary of the man."

"And that narrows down who I'm married to by so much." She said sarcastically. She held up the Claddaugh on her right hand. "My future self may be married but this ring on this hand says otherwise. You may call me Ashlynn."

"Very well then...Signora Ashlynn."

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "At least you're not calling me Principessa..."

Vittore gave a knowing smile letting a server take his empty plate but kept his drink. "It's about time. Instead of going up the ladder to the chapel tower we'll be taking the exit leading into the mountains."

"Do you know where we'll be going?"

"You will definitely be traveling with Signore Squalo and Fran. But I will be separating with you to go cause someone a serious headache."

"So you're going to make a nuisance out of yourself to the Millefiore? Like-?"

One of the servers, a brunette, giggled as she took Ashlynn's empty plate and cup. "Hitmen have a rather ironic sense of humor, Signora. What he means is that he's going to put a bullet into someone's head."

Ashlynn blinked. "Oh. Well, have...fun?"

"Is that an order, Signora? I'll see that I do for your sake." Vittore chuckled as the server walked away. He stood up and motioned for them to do so as well. They pushed in their chairs and Ashlynn smiled as the staff called out their farewells. She waved back as she let herself out of the room and into the hallway.

"Will you meet back with us again or are you going somewhere else afterwards?" Ashlynn asked adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

Vittore laughed again. "I am happy to hear that you like me enough to see me again, Signora, even after our training."

Ashlynn shrugged.

"Well, ever since you went into hiding; our slang for that would be 'going on a lam' by the way. Because of your maternal leave, your forces have been spread out to a few different groups. The majority of them now fall under the command of the Varia while some have joined Signore Hibari's and Signore Sasagawa's factions."

"That's just the majority though," Fran said on her other side. "Your associates had started speaking through Algar because of your pregnancy but since we don't know where he is, they are now reporting to Birdy. That's one of the reasons why she said she had to be out of the country the day we saw her."

"That was the day you came here, correct?" Vittore asked as they stepped into an elevator. When the doors closed he pressed the button for the first underground floor.

"That's right." Ashlynn provided.

"Well to answer your question: Yes. I will be seeing you soon after this job because I will be reporting to Signore Squalo. Though it will be a little difficult if you're going where I think you're going.'"

"What?"

"Best I not say where, Signora. You'll get the details from Signore Squalo anyway."

Ashlynn furrowed her brows. "Okay, but is there a problem with where we are going?"

"Not yet but there might be. I'm sorry that I brought it up, Signora, a lapse in thinking on my part. Please do not worry so much about it. Especially since you've progressed so much over the last few days. I'll make sure that when the battles with the Millefiore are over I'll tell them that you, as you are right now, did better than they ever did on their first days of training."

"Hmm." Ashlynn snorted amusedly. "Does that mean I'm going to get a special limit break attack soon?

Vittore looked over confused. "Limit break attack?"

"You know when you're low on HP? Well you get this attack, a limit break that will hit more critically than your other attacks because you're close to dying."

Fran nodded. "I'd like mine now, too. Along with a cool pose and battle music."

"And just where did you hear this from?" Vittore asked.

"Various anime and video games." Ashlynn confessed.

The man sighed. "I'm afraid that it doesn't exactly work that way. I understand that a person in a desperate situation could muster up strength for a final effort to fight and take the opponent with you. Other than that I can't strategically think of why you wouldn't use that stronger attack when your other ones were not dealing enough damage."

Ashlynn sighed.

"Sorry for destroying your hopes." Vittore apologized.

"You don't look very sorry, Vittore." Ashlynn said calling on the non-apologetic expression. "But you're right anyway. I shouldn't have seriously asked that. It would have been cool though to have something automatically be available to me in that situation and a cool attack name to go with it."

Fran nodded.

"But then again," Ashlynn rolled her shoulders. "It's better to just attack without calling the name of it so your opponent doesn't have that split second to realize what you're doing."

"That explains why you're mostly silent during sparring. But this is Shounen." Fran pointed out.

She nodded agreeing with the sentiment. "...On a side note calling shots means 'where I want to hit him'. Like how in pool you'll say, 'eight ball, corner pocket'.

Vittore frowned becoming lost with the change in the conversation. "...Shounen? What do boys have to do with this conversation? And billiards?"

"Don't worry about it, Vittore." She waved her hand then looked to Fran seriously. "I get that it's a Shounen and it just wouldn't be Shounen without calling your shots but I believe that there is a time a place for stuff like that. Sparring could be one, but I've noticed that your called shots are all said in Italian. I would like to point out that I obviously do not know enough of the language to be dramatically calling out my attacks. I'd be more likely to insult you and your mother first than some cool phrase calling attention to whatever I'm about to do. Now that I think about it, my way is more …what's the word I'm looking for…?"

"I would say 'smarter' for this one. 'Strategic' if you want to be fancy and intelligent sounding." Fran rubbed his chin.

"We'll go with that then. So me insulting an opponent making him or her attack recklessly instead of me saying what I'm doing for the benefit of whoever's watching, which would give my opponent a chance to either dodge or counter me." Ashlynn explained as the doors of the elevator opened for them. "Also have to keep in mind that anyone watching could be an accomplice of my opponent and is observing to see what my battle habits are. Then when my opponent is defeated that person could make a plan to get around the attacks I so helpfully named during the fight."

"It may be smarter but it's still Shounen. You're just cast as one of the more battle-smart people." Fran shrugged.

Ashlynn hummed agreeably. "But it's not just Shounen that does it. There are some Shoujo that pull that kind of thing as well. A good example would be Sailor Moon."

"Un~. We've lost Vittore."

Vittore sighed. They were now walking up a few steps and a door was opened to the outside world. Ashlynn likened the scenery to a glade within the space between mountains. The man turned around, locked the door they used, and made a gesture with his hands that made the entrance disappear. "I got the part where it would be smarter to not call your shots. But it could also be used to your advantage."

"Aa." Fran uttered. "I see how you could do that."

Vittore took the lead into the grass towards the outcropping of trees on the other side about a mile and a half away. "Signora, you say that it would be better to insult your opponent. While a good tactic to use, there a people that will not bite the bait, so to speak. So what good would announcing your battle plan to your opponent do?"

She was silent in thought for a time that they had come within twenty feet of the trees before she answered. "You'll say one attack but actually do another. Going with the situation where there is a hidden person observing they would believe that because you said it was a certain move then it would always be that move."

"That's right." Vittore smiled as they weaved through a few trees ad Ashlynn saw a helicopter waiting in the middle of another clearing. Once they cleared the foliage the blades of the machine starting up.

"Still think it'd be better to either insult the other person or be quiet." She said as they got closer.

Vittore grasped her shoulder and bent over so she could hear him. "This is where we split off Signora. I wish you the best from here on out!"

"You too, Vittore!" She shouted before Squalo came out of the vehicle with his hair flying everywhere. He held out a hand for her to grab onto and he hauled her into the copter, stashed away her bag, and strapped her into a seat before doing the same in the seat beside her. Fran, already buckled in, passed her a headset with a microphone.

"Vooooi!" Squalo yelled making her cringe. "Time to head out, scum!"

Ashlynn found herself unbelievably excited, Vittore's almost ominous words fading away to the back of her mind. It was her very first time on a helicopter and it was beyond amazing being up so high in the air with the window blowing and she was grateful that Squalo had tied his hair in a tail at the base of his neck before they took to the skies. They weren't in the air for as long as she liked and they settled down on top of a tall building at about three or four o'clock after flying over two mountain-y national parks and then into a city.

Squalo let her unstrap herself from her seat and pushed her bag into her arms and practically dragged her off the flying machine into the building below and towards the bathrooms. "If you gotta go, go now. We're in a Vongola controlled building in Brescia but we need to take a car to Milan. I'll be by the elevator. Fran go get the car ready."

"On it, Taicho~." Fran disappeared down the hallway.

"Um, okay. thanks." Ashlynn pushed the door opened and stepped into the room and into a stall to take care of her business then back out to wash her hands. It was as she was turning off the water of the faucet and reaching for the device that dispensed paper towels that a black haired woman in a grey pant suit entered the tiled room. Ashlynn did not like the glint of recognition she found when their eyes met through the mirror.

Neither did the click of a gun sound very friendly.

The first two bullets hit the glass of the mirror scattering pieces into the sink and on the surface of the counters and floor. The third bullet was shot into the ceiling breaking through a sprinkler and setting off the remaining ones. Ashlynn grabbed the somewhat taller woman's wrist and twisted the limb until she heard it snapped and her attacker cried out in pain, releasing her weapon but still had the sense to push her weight on her to topple both of them to the ground where the woman grabbed a hold of her ponytail with her good hand.

Ashlynn yelped kicking her legs over the raven head's thighs and swung her fist into the other's face to force hold off her hair.

"Vongola puttana!" The attacker raged out through a bloody and flat lip rolling both of them over across pieces of glass that caught in their hair and scratched any uncovered skin. The woman kicked out from under the hold and scrambled on the ground for the hand gun on the ground.

Her fingers barely grasped at it when Ashlynn pounced on her back and pushed the gun across the floor under the furthest stall in the back then pressed her own gun against the back of the struggling female below her.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ashlynn demanded in English. When there was no answer she asked the same in Japanese and then again in Irish.

Thankfully the woman had stilled with the barrel of the gun pressed hard against the base of her neck. But other than glaring up at her out of the corner of her eye she did not answer. By now both of them were wet from the sprinklers and the adrenaline had died down a bit but the younger of the two was not going to let her guard down so easily.

Ashlynn scowled. "Who. Are. You."

"Essa Contiello. A spy planted by the Gessania Famiglia. Good job, brat. Looks like you didn't need me to rescue you after all. "Squalo's voice said from the direction of the bathrooms entrance. He stepped forward over the glass, crushing already broken pieces into smaller bits then stepped a foot on the woman's good hand and crushed the bones beneath him with the sole of his boot.

The revealed spy whimpered and struggled over the pain to ask. "...How...did you...find...out?"

"Trash. We knew the entire time." Squalo smirked then switched his gaze to her. "Ashlynn."

She grunted not taking her eyes off her capture. Though in the back of her mind she noted that it was the first time he actually called her by her name instead of 'brat'.

"Kill her."

"...?"

Squalo raised an eyebrow. "You're hesitating now? She was here to do the very same to you. We have no further use for her and before you even start to think it you can't make her become your friend just because you spared her life. She'd go along with it then at the very second you let your guard she'll kill you and anybody else she can get her hands on. Do it now Ash-."

She gritted her teeth.

She pulled the trigger.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

The swordsman nodded taking the gun out of her grip and wiped the blood splatters off the barrel with a wet paper towel before pressing it back into her hand. "It's not a nice world to live in, Ashlynn. You're definitely 'made' now."

"I know." She whispered. She moved off from where she had been pinning the woman down and turned for a clear space on the counter and she slammed her free hand, open palm against the surface. "Fuck."

* * *

><p>...Her teacher once said that children can see things that adults would miss or even try to hide. And her mother had always said that she was very bright for her age. And Fon said she had good tact which meant having a keen (another word she learned from Fon) sense of what to do or say to avoid giving offense in delicate situations. However being only a second grader in the Elementary there weren't many things that Birdy had to be 'tactful' about. So long as she behaved, did her homework, ate her greens, brush her teeth, and go to bed on time; she did what she was supposed to so she practically lived worry-free like a normal child.<p>

But...being tactful wasn't helping her get rid of the batch of butterflies that were flapping away in her tummy. And she knew that the only way to get rid of the tummy-ache she was having, was to fix the problem that was making her mother worry: Ashlynn, her cool older sister, had gone to school about a week ago. But she never came back home. And the following days she neither showed up to school, work, or home and there wasn't a sign of a note anywhere and no calls or texts saying where she was and when she was coming back...

...or _IF_ she was coming back.

Birdy could tell her mother wasn't taking the sudden disappearance very well. Especially after what was happening at night that one week where she would leave with Ashlynn after she was tucked into bed. It had been something really important if her mother was taking her shotgun and switchblade with her but whatever that was; it was over now if that party was anything to judge by. But the very next day they found that while Ashlynn did attend school she did not appear for her shift at work. But after the older girl's disappearance dragged on for another full seven days and still no word of her location, Birdy decided that it was high time to talk to someone who could do something about it. Mother was losing more and more sleep than usual and that scared her thanks to another fact she had retained from one of her teachers: A person could actually die from lack of sleep.

Her mother had already talked to the school, Aunty Keiko, and Ran. She also talked to Aunty Nana and found that Reborn, Tsuna-nii, Hayato-nii, Takei-nii, I-pin and Lambo had run off somewhere as well and there wasn't a note to insure that they would be alright and come home safely. There was one fact stood out to the second grader: people from Tsuna-nii's mafia family were disappearing. So now it was up to her to go directly to the top of the food chain within Namimori.

This was why she was currently waiting patiently outside the gates of Namimori Junior high school for someone to notice her so she could enter the grounds. She might have entered herself but too many stories from the older elementary students kept her from walking the distance between the gate and the front doors. So Birdy stayed there leaning against the wall, constantly looking over to the entrance in case someone came out that she could call on for help and when the bell rang for the students to break for lunch she sighed in relief, the growing tension in her shoulders going away as someone walked out the doors and in her direction. He didn't really look like a student with the black uniform and the big hair-do but she was glad someone at least came out. Maybe he was part of the staff or even a student-teacher.

And with that Kusakabe found himself with a little predicament. A small, rather cute one, but a predicament nonetheless. He first noticed the child wearing the Namimori Elementary uniform standing outside of the school gates just as the lunch hour began. At first he had thought it might have been the younger sibling of a student who attended the Junior high and was waiting because of a half day (of course he knew the class schedules of Namimori Elementary, Junior, and High). But as he came closer he recognized the small dark haired girl as the one who was the all but blood sister of the Outside Deputy Omnivore, Meagher Ashlynn. The child also looked up to the members of Sawada's group of friends so perhaps she was waiting here because it was closer than the high school? But the fact that no one from Sawada's had bothered to come to school for the past week save for the boxer Sasagawa Ryohei, well maybe it had something to do with their absence. So here he was standing on the campus side of the gates while the girl stared up at him from the other side of the divide.

The girl tilted her head.

He blinked.

"My name is Cross Suzume but I'm usually called Birdy, is Hibari-san here? I'd also like to talk to Ryo-nii if he's still here, but I need to talk to Hibari-san first."

He blinked again.

Birdy adjusted the straps of her backpack. "I was told by the older kids at the Elementary the Hibari-san ruled the town. So I came here and waited outside because they also told me that he doesn't like when people come here that aren't supposed to be to...but this is really important so..."

"You wish to see the Chairman?" He clarified the request.

She nodded affirmatively.

He hummed in his throat thoughtfully trying to think of the reason why such a little thing wanted with the chairman, even if she was the sister of the Outside Deputy. "Would you like me to escort you?" He asked deciding that it would be better if he went with her so she wouldn't lost or get in trouble with the chairman for trespassing.

"Yes please."

He nodded turning his body ninety degrees then another before he started walking back to the school building with an Elementary student by his side. "My name is Kusakabe Tetsuya. I am the Chairman's second in command of the disciplinary committee."

"Nice to meet you." The little Bird chirped.

He nodded looking up at the school and the fast approaching prefect coming in their direction. Huh, looks like he didn't have to escort the little lady too far into campus, barely even ten feet. He bowed his head and motioned to the child beside him. "Kyo-san, this is Cross Suzume."

Hibari stared at the child but spoke to him. "Leave us, Kusakabe."

"...Of course, Kyo-san." Kusakabe was confused but immediately moved to follow the prefect's orders.

Birdy went straight to the chase the moment Kusakabe shut the door after entering the school building. "Ashlynn-nee-chan has been missing for a total of eight days. Reborn for about six. Tsuna-nii and Hayato-nii for five and yesterday Aunty Nana said that Lambo-chan and I-pin-chan ran off somewhere with Take-nii four days ago. Ka-san already talked to the high school, Aunty Keiko and one of Nee-chan's friends. I wasn't sure if you knew or not-"

Hibari's eyes narrowed as he moved forward his hand reaching out to grab the child out of the way of the rocket that was blasting their way but it hit her before he could grasp one of the straps of the child's backpack. He glared at the sudden appearance of pink smoke and the stare intensified as the air cleared but there wasn't anyone in the girl's place nor did the child switch back after five minutes.

Someone was kidnapping students from the Namimori schools. This person would be found...

...And be bitten to death.

* * *

><p>"The ten year bazooka? Well at least we already exchanged information."<p>

Birdy blinked. There had been pink smoke and then she was falling down a colorful tube before she was swallowed up by a big bright light. And now she was in a seat on a train...across from an older looking...

"Ryo-nii?" Birdy whispered.

The man smiled pressing her gently into a hug. "Yes, little bird. It's the Extreme me ten years into the future. This is your first time being shot with the ten year bazooka, isn't it?"

She nodded though she was beyond confused and a little light-headed from falling upside down through time and the slight movement from the train was not helping her little tummy.

"It's okay, Birdy-chan." The older Nii-san soothed. "Just sit with us for five minutes then you'll be back to your present in Namimori, alright?"

Birdy nodded again nuzzling deeper into Ryohei's arms and the man tightened her grip on her a little more. The seconds ticked by and the he started to a hum a light tune to further calm her. But when the seconds stretched on into minutes he paused with a frown.

Birdy pulled her head away. "Nii-san?"

"Well," He smiled. "It looks like there is a malfunction with the bazooka, not like it's the first time its happened. Could have had better timing but there's nothing we can really do about it at the moment.'

She gulped tightening her grip on the jacket of his eyes began welling up with tears. "But...wh-what if I don't switch back? And I g-get stuck here?"

"Don't worry now, little bird. I don't know how long you'll be here but you can count on your Extreme Nii-san will make sure you're safe while you're here in the future. I Extremely promise. Pinky swear?"

"P-pinky swear." Birdy shook her little finger with his relieved to be with someone familiar and trusted.

* * *

><p>-Trying to do battle scenes with the box weapons is actually a little challenging, but it helps when I think of Pokémon.<p>

-Sometimes I wonder if I'm portraying Fran too OOC or not...

_**The Glossary:**_

-**Uccello **means 'Bird' in Italian.

- **Puttana** means 'whore' in Italian

-**'Eyes Only'**= a document with important information that can't be relayed over the phone or in person because there might be a bug, so it can only be seen with eyes only before the document is destroyed (Ashlynn's letter from her future self is a good example. A small piece of mafia lingo that I've picked up over research.

-**Associate**: Someone who works with mobsters, but has not been asked to take the vow of Omerta; an almost confirmed or made guy. In even plainer terms it means someone with an affiliation with a mafia organization but is not an official member.

- A **'Made Man'**: A person formally inducted into the Mafia through a ceremony: Traditionally, prospective members are called into a meeting without being given a reason. Through an elaborate ritual, they are then invited to join the Mafia. They are typically told the rules of the hierarchy, and the general disciplinary measure for disobedience- death. The prerequisite for admission is usually killing someone...

The thing is, in KHR, the Guardians got an okay from Reborn and that was that. Sure, Reborn is the best hitman in the world and is doing the Ninth a favor, but with my research, one would think the guardians would meet the Ninth to prove loyalty to the Vongola foremost and then to Tsuna when it comes time for him to take over. This is obviously not the case, especially in the ring Arc when the Ninth is trapped in Mosca.


	25. Chapter 25

**When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. -**** Audre Lorde**

**War means fighting, and fighting means killing. - Nathan Bedford Forrest**

* * *

><p>Ashlynn barely caught the whisper of a name and the flash of Squalo's Varia ring shining a blue flame from the emblem before she was blind-folded and herded and strapped into a seat of a car.<p>

Milan.

They were off to Milan. She was sure the place was lovely, once hearing that it was the fashion capital of Italy…but, that was really all she knew about the place. She wished she could have come in better circumstances; like not being in the future, not having the Family being hunted down like vermin, and not having a blindfold over her eyes. If her vision had to be taken out of the equation…Vittore was probably right and that the new location would be a little difficult. Hell, it was difficult enough bracing herself against the motions of the car and she knew that Squalo was being a driving hazard on the road by weaving in and out of traffic and she tried to keep as still and grounded into the seat as possible. She also resisted the urge to try and peek to see but since it was the Varia she was with: well, she didn't doubt that they would stuff her in the trunk instead for the duration of the trip.

As it was, without taking into account the piece of cloth keeping her from seeing anything and Squalo's near homicidal driving, she was jittery. She'd made another killing, marking up a tally of three hits within the last week alone.

The car stopped. And the door of the driver's seat opened and shut before her door was opened and once her seat belt was undone she was herded with the blind fold still over her face over steps and into a building with a cool breeze blasted from the air conditioning. Ashlynn linked her arm around the crook of Squalo's elbow and trusted him to lead her where they needed to go. He was surprising her right now with how…considerate he was being. Then again she chalked it up to it being a job or because the Vongola really did need every hand they could get (and they did). The thought made her think of when Reborn called Algar on her behalf all those months ago; for the image of the Vongola they would send out a message that they were not going to stand for one of their members being harassed.

Squalo slowed his pace down a little and her with him when there was a ding from an elevator and they shuffled inside and waiting the few seconds it took for the doors to cage them inside. Strangely the elevator did not make any stops for any other floor besides the one they were pulled to and she was led off once more, down a hallway, stopping, then entering a room. And her blindfold was finally untied.

A soft gasp alerted her across the spacious and expensive room towards the entrance of the bathroom where a man in the same uniform as Squalo and Fran held his gloved hands to his cheeks.

"Lussuria!" Ashlynn grinned happily in greeting as the mo-hawked man strode quickly over and pressed her cheeks together.

Lussuria turned his head which led her to believe he was staring at Squalo though it was hard to tell with the sunglasses covering his eyes. "Is this really-?"

"From about ten years ago? Yeah, it's her. The fucking time traveling bazooka is broken considering she's been here for about a week already." Squalo crossed his arms leaning against the wall adjacent of the door. Fran had moved to sit on the king sized bed in the middle of the room with her bag on his lap. "She's got three kills within that time period. Two at the safe house and one today at the building in Brescia."

"Oh, what happened?" Lussuria asked turning his head back to her.

"The Contiella woman: the spy from the Gessania Famiglia recognized her in the bathroom and tried to make the hit. Obviously she failed and the brat killed her instead."

The man let go of her cheeks and clapped his hands twice. "Good job, dearie~. But why are your clothes so wrinkled? Did you get wet earlier?"

"Kind of broke a sprinkler." Ashlynn replied a little hushed.

"Don't worry my sweet~." Lussuria wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. "Big sis will take care it~. But really Squalo," He turned back to the Swordsman and began to chide him. "You could have avoided that confrontation if you only disguised her. As it is she's too recognizable."

"Che didn't have the time to waste to get everything together. Besides, why do think I brought her here instead of leaving her in Reschensee or having her go with Palladini?"

"Other than because I missed my sweet Honey? Well, to disguise her obviously and to take her with us on the job tonight~. And we'll have Fran also! Oh this will be fun!"

"She made hits but the Arcobaleno in the past never 'made' her." He said then turned to her. "With Reborn vouching for you, it was accepted as fact that you were a member."

Lussuria moved away to the vanity in the room and rummaged in one of the drawers and came back with a card, a few candles and a knife. "Fran, the lights."

The sun Guardian sat crossed legged on the floor and waved his hand to her and she sat on her knees. The lights turned off and Lussuria lit both candles and held up the card so she could see its image in the small light. A picture of Saint Brighid. Not the Goddess that she normally invoked but the Christian Saint that shared the same name and traits.

"Traditionally," Lussuria remarked, the notes in his voice serious. "Potential members are called into a meeting without given a reason. And when I say 'potential members', I mean associates or gunmen that the Family wants to induct them into their ranks. You told me once that Reborn held an Initiation test that you and the Yamamoto boy participated in. Even though Reborn is rather traditional when it comes to our ways but, because he is who he is, he got away with having that as your ceremony. Within the traditional meeting you are greeted by the Boss and his Guardians. You are a Guardian to begin with so that also worked in your favor even if things were never laid fully out for you. But if it had been otherwise you would have been told of our hierarchy, what your new responsibilities for the Family would be, and the general measures taken for disobedience. I don't think I need to say what those measures are."

Ashlynn said nothing.

The side of Lussuria's mouth twitched. "As far as the ceremony brought about: For many Families it is required that you kills someone to be considered ready to be brought into the Families combatant forces…when, where, and who was your first kill for the Family?

"...Back in Kokuyo. I entered through the side rather than the front like everyone else had but, they were already way ahead of me. I was going to go around and meet them where I could. I was caught on the perimeter by Yann and Sanem."

She couldn't see him, but Squalo clicked his tongue. "Fucking hell. You remember their names?"

"Squalo, give or take this happened about two weeks before I first met you with Dino and Namimori."

"So this happened, but Reborn wasn't at hand and there was still the operation to complete." Lussuria pursed his lips. "And even after Mukuro was taken back to Vindice, you lot were taken to the hospital for your injuries."

Ashlynn's nose twitched. "That's right."

"Now," Squalo stated kneeling down beside her and Fran did the same on her other side. "We don't have the Boss or Tsunayoshi here and this isn't going to be very elaborate but, with the time constraint it will do. At least it's better than what Reborn had done. Ashlynn, do you swear to uphold the code of Omerta? To follow our rules?"

"I do so swear." Ashlynn replied solemnly.

"Good. Give me your left hand; fingers together, palm up." He ordered. He gripped said limb while his other hand held up a knife that glinted in the candlelight. Squalo didn't hesitate as he dug the blade into the pad of her ring finger four times. Two to create a capital letter V and two more slits to make a squiggly tilda to flank the letter on both sides. Her toes and other hand clenched in response to the pain and while she was sure her face was giving away her grimacing she succeeded in not making a sound. Squalo then accepted the image of Saint Brighid from Lussuria and pressed her bleeding digits over the surface of the card. He then pulled his own limbs away for the next step.

"Cup your hands around the Saint. Don't drop her now." Lussuria instructed shifting his weight as he moved one of the candles to catch the edge of the picture with the small flame. Ashlynn's whole body tensed as the Saint coated with her blood began to burn in her red-stained and hurting hands. Through the stinging and burning she mentally apologized to the Goddess (and Saint) for any insult.

"As burns this Saint, so will burn your soul." Fran murmured looking utterly bored.

"You enter alive and the only way to get out is death." Squalo finished and the candles were snuffed out.

There was shifting from Fran and within seconds the lights were flipped back on. Lussuria pulled out a small white square of cloth and wiped away the blood. Once cleaned enough to see the punctures in her skin he lit his ring with the sun flame and smoothed the ring just over the small wounds. Ashlynn let out a long exhale as the stinging faded away into nothing and Lussuria pulled away to stand on his feet with Squalo. Ashlynn followed suit and looked down to inspect her finger; the scarring was faint even though Lussuria soothed away the hurt but, there it was: a capital V and two tilda's.

"The Vongola ring is obvious, but the marks on your skin prove your officially one of us, dearie." Lussuria crooned turning the square of cloth that he cleaned her hands with into ash thanks to his flame. The ashes were dumped into a small trashcan.

Squalo jerked his head and started for the door to leave. "Now that that's done... Lussuria, get her ready within the next hour and a half. I'm going to go prepare the rest of the trash."

"Alrighty! Well, it looks like it's just us three for a while. Fran, dear, in the closet there are two boxes on the second shelf. Can you grab them?" Lussuria then grabbed her hands and pulled her over to a vanity table that she had missed seeing and sat her down in front of the mirror. "And you darling, we need to give you a disguise while you're still with us. And especially so if you're going to do the job with us tonight."

Ashlynn blinked then shook her head at the sudden change in mood. "Um. Okay, Luss."

"I haven't even told you the details sweetie. Remember this from now on: Even if you know the person, do not ever agree to any job or favor until you've gleaned every ounce of information~. Why, you might accidentally accept a job to take out your own Boss if you're not careful."

"That's fine. But the way you worded it makes it sound like I'll be going with you regardless if I want to or not."

"Well, Honey, that's true. Now, like I said earlier, you are too recognizable. Had it been any of the other guardians they might be able to get by once or twice if they're careful, but you? Sorry, not a chance~. Your hair is rather distinctive in the underworld, especially here in Italy or Japan. Had it been any other country it may have been a different matter." He said lifted the ponytail then tugging the tie out then he turned to accept both medium sized boxes from Fran and set them on the table's surface.

"So the solution we have here is to put on a wig, some colored contacts, our lovely Varia uniform and then use illusions to smooth out any of the chinks. It's a shame that we have to cover your pretty hair, but, which one do you like better?"

Ashlynn hummed thoughtfully taking the time to examine both wigs in the mirror as Lussuria held them on either side of her face. On one hand there was a dark gray-ish purple with two messy buns on both sides with equally messy bangs.

The other hand held a black shoulder length wig with hime cut bangs. She nodded to the purple wig.

"I like that one."

The black wig was immediately put back into the box. "Me too. You'll probably end up using both if it comes down to it but we'll go with the prettier of the two for now. "

"But have these wigs been used before? I mean—is it possible that I'd be recognized anyway by wearing it?" Ashlynn asked.

Lussuria shook his head slightly, maneuvering the strands of her hair into a braided crown. "These ones haven't been used yet so there's nothing to worry about."

"And then Fran…?"

"Once the wig is in place and pick out a pair of contacts we'll use illusions to change anything else we see fit to change. How it works is that a piece of jewelry, you commonly use earrings or a brooch, is used as an anchor, add illusions, then you'll layer your own lightning flame over it to make it stable and solid. It will also make it seem that it's your actual hair and eyes so there won't be any itching or over-heating but I suggest that you do use drops for the contacts every morning. As it is you and I are the only ones that actually use this method and it's one our most guarded secrets so no telling, okay darling?"

"Making illusions into reality, eve more than real illusions…you got it Luss. I imagine it'd be a lot of trouble if anyone else thought to try this." Ashlynn agreed not to tell. 'But….Verde will think of the concept soon enough without me hinting at it….' Ashlynn hummed as the wig was secured over her real hair.

Lussuria reached to the side drawer and pulled out a small compact case. "Under different circumstances I would have gone with a pretty light blue to go with this wig but right now we need to keep you from standing out too much. Here. Have you used contacts before?"

Ashlynn opened the case to see two black colored contacts. "I have. Go ahead and put them in now?"

"Uh-huh."

With the contacts in place Lussuria waved Fran over to take his spot just behind Ashlynn. "Alright-y. Time to start your magic, Fran." The sun guardian crooned. "Let's start with the top then work our way down so we don't miss anything. First, match the color of her eyebrows to the hair and give them a little more of an arch…that's good. Leave the shape of the eyes alone but, have the nose more button-like. We can keep the shape of her face too… hmmm, go ahead and give the chin a little more strength…very nice. Now…change the skin to be more of a light olive…a little lighter….there. That's perfect~! Is there anything you want to add?"

Ashlynn laughed looking at the stranger in the mirror and jokingly asked. "Think I could pull off any facial piercings?" She stopped short as a silver labret piercing ball appeared just beneath her bottom lip and she felt the other side of the piece inside of her mouth. "Looks good, but I was kidding, you know?"

Fran shrugged.

"Moving on?" Ashlynn asked.

"Right, some stand over here." Lussuria pointed just a few feet away and Fran moved out of the way so she could go stand in place with Lussuria circling around her critically. "Keep the height, sharpen the shoulders just a tad, dainty up the hands a little more…put some more hip on her. And take her down a cup size."

"Lussuria!" Ashlynn whined at the last instruction as the illusionist followed to do what the other guardian said.

The man in question grinned happily. "Oh, change her voice up a bit. Wouldn't want anyone hearing your voice with that look. Fran, dear, make it softer and princess-like."

"...How is it now?" Ashlynn asked then immediately placed her hands in front of her mouth.

"Like royalty, my dear. Now to complete the set, what I want you to do is put these in your ears." He handed over a pair of silver studs to match the lip piercing and waited for her to put them in. "In? Okay, cover both sides with your fingers and channel your flames into it. I'll tell you when to stop."

Ashlynn sat back down at the vanity table with her fingers over the studs for at least twenty minutes while Fran took a place on the bed again, and Lussuria was moving about grabbing things here and there.

"The reason for the long channeling serves two purposes: The first would be to keep the illusion running in place. The second is that it runs as a back-up battery or a generator. While your flames route through your body you don't channel when you're asleep or unconscious. It also took a while for you to get used to channeling lightning flames out of your ears."

"So because of the extra 'juice' by channeling previously…I keep the disguise. Question. What if I'm fighting against an illusionist? Will my flame control over the disguise fail if my perception is screwed with?"

Lussuria hummed. "There's a chance for it, but tonight I'm not counting on there being any high level illusionists. In the case of your future self, it was never a problem and over the years it became increasingly difficult to catch you in an illusion and even if they managed it wasn't for very long. The reason for that is the potency of your flame. With the solidification properties of the flame you are able to harden your own perceptions against mist based attacks."

"Wow."

"Next part: You need a name. Certainly can't call you Ashlynn otherwise the disguise would be worthless. And before you say it, we can't use Niamh. Too many know that that's a nickname some people call you by. That also means I can't call you honey when we leave this room."

"Then," Ashlynn scrunched her new button nose, something she decided was adorable and the soft squeal from Lussuria told her he thought so as well. "...I don't know…"

"Do you think you can answer to 'Miele'?

Ashlynn nodded absently. "That should be fine. What does it mean?"

"What endearment do I normally use~?" He tittered.

"Honey...yeah, I can see myself answering to that. And if we have to use the other wig then it could be 'Rin'."

"Rin?"

"Mmm." She nodded. "A little while before the bazooka going off, Kurokawa called me that. She seems to be under the impression that I am Tsuna's older sister. There's also the fact that the Japanese roughly translate my name as 'Ma-ah Ashu-rin'. Unless my future self has already used the name I could get used to being called that. Either that or Lynn."

"Lynn has been used but not Rin. The Lynn disguise is the red headed wig." Lussuria revealed. "Let's go with Miele for now."

"Sounds good to me." Ashlynn agreed.

"We've got a while yet before we leave. Uniform's on the counter in the bathroom so go on ahead and change."

Ashlynn moved into the adjacent room closing the door behind her. It took a few seconds to stop gaping at the big the bathroom was before she focused her attention on her task and found herself a little giddy for the chance to actual wear the Varia's uniform. Separating each piece she frowned, holding up the black bra that was with the pile. It was a size too small. Perfect for the image they were going for she but not for the comfort of her own breasts. She adjusted the straps as much as she could before pulling it on and clasping the back. 'I can tell right now; this is going to get uncomfortable pretty fast…I guess can deal with it, but still…'

A black baby doll t-shirt with a simple lined star was slipped snuggly over and her black slacks were exchanged for the snug Varia leather that would take a while to get used to. The Varia jacket went over the ensemble with all buttons secured in the right places.

"Are you decent in there?" Lussuria knocked on the door.

"Yeah."

The man peeped his head in first then opened the door all the way and entered and squeed as he did so. "Even though it doesn't look like you right now I love that you're wearing our uniform~! Oh, and you can put your shoes in your bag honey. I got some really nice boots for you to put on."

"Thanks." She said following him back into the room. Lussuria returned to the vanity with a folder while she went to her bag next to Fran where the calf high boots were laying. They were laced up quick enough so she took the time to slip on a belt and attach two of the smaller packs filled with ammunition onto the decorative loops, the holster of her guns were put into place along with their guns. She frowned at the box of rings and her chakram bracelets. "Hey Luss?"

"What's up, Miele?"

"Hmm...Can you tell me about what's supposed to happen tonight?"

"Intelligence tells us that there is a Millefiore controlled building here in Milan. Much like the one we have in Bescaria. Basically we go in, wreck all sorts of havoc, I'll be stealing some files, then we torch the place and book it~." Lussuria sang.

"Oh."

"No worries, Hun! Think of it as a scavenger hunt where you take down the guards and destroy the evidence that we were ever there~! It won't take very long at all. Shortest time being thirty minutes and our longest being an hour and a half."

"And you're not worried that anyone is going to see us?" Ashlynn deadpanned. "Not to mention what if someone gets a message through that we're there?"

"Again, nothing to worry about! Normally when we do operations like this the guards and personnel are so shocked that they have no idea what to do!"

"Alright." Ashlynn conceded. "My next question then: Should I use the Vongola ring? Or should I hide it and wear one of these?" she pointed to the box of rings lying on the couch.

Lussuria took her right hand that held the Vongola and Claddaugh rings. "Take two or three of the lightning rings. Both grade A's and a B grade; keep the Mammon chains too until we get to the target. Definitely take the Vongola ring with you and use it if you feel the need- hm?" He trailed off brushing his gloved finger against the Claddaugh.

"What's wrong?"

"This isn't the right ring."

She raised her eyebrows in question. "What do mean 'wrong ring'? I've always had this one…"

"…"

Ashlynn furrowed her brows. "Lussuria?"

The man pursed his lips, opened his mouth as if to explain, but closed them again. Then finally, "It's just the wrong ring, dear. It looks the same but it's just not the right one. I suspect that it will still give off a trace so keep the chain on it. In fact, you should just leave it: you're known to wear it regardless of what hand it's on."

"But there are plenty of people that do wear these. Granted the majority are Irish…." Ashlynn tried to protest but then gave up at her last point. She was Irish and wearing that ring would be like a beacon to anyone who knew what to look for.

He held up a hand gently. "I didn't mean that you should trash it. Just keep in your bag for now; we'll come back after the job is done before we move on to another location."

'Another location? Brighid, how many times are we going to move around? Those guys in Namimori are lucky they didn't end up here in canon.' She fiddled with the ring before taking it off her finger and placing it in one of the small innermost pockets of her bag. With the Vongola ring on her right middle finger, the two A grade lightning rings took place on her ring and pointer fingers and the B grade ring made its place on her left middle finger. "I'm going to assume that I shouldn't use my chakrams unless I really need them, huh?"

"You're right. But it's not like you're going in unarmed." Fran pointed out.

She still had her chakrams on her, along with the boxes that held her future self's weapons as they left running through the cobblestone and brick streets following Squalo and Lussuria with Fran beside her. There were a few questioning glances from the soldiers but with a glare and a challenge from Squalo assured that she was not an enemy spy that was going to slit their throats the moment they let their guard down around her.

Even with their general suspicions, they were only grunts and if three Varia core members vouched for her, then it was fine. But the moment they stepped into the office building/warehouse it was quickly forgotten in favor of the battle that was taking place.

Ashlynn gulped. It was absolute carnage.

"Let's go." Squalo gripped her shoulder and moved her with him towards the fighting. "You work better under pressure anyway... cry if you need to afterwards but we have a job to do right now. You have one of the communicators from Lussuria if we ever get separated but for now follow my lead, got it?"

"Got it..."

They, she and Squalo, split off from the main forces to sneak along the other passages within the building. The sounds of gunshots were becoming quieter but even so, her adrenaline was at its highest and she kept silent as they moved from room to room.

"We don't have anyone working as spy in this group." Squalo murmured as they climbed up a set of stairs. "If we come across anyone you kill them unless I say otherwise."

They stopped momentarily as the door just in front of them opened, they hid behind it and just as it was slamming shut Squalo struck his foot out and kicked the many over the stairwell to fall four stories down to the hard ground below.

"Fucking hell." Ashlynn whispered. Squalo shrugged opening the very door the man came out of. And immediately the two were on the opposite side of a charge from men hollering and charging their way with weapons drawn.

"Che, just a bunch of scum. None of them even have enough resolve for a ring. How boring."

Ashlynn shot two rounds into the charging mass before Squalo sliced into the oncoming force with Ashlynn picking off whoever came out alive on the other side, slowing inching forward along the hallway as more and more of the enemy ran out of the further rooms. She was walking over bodies before even the halfway point and had to walk the same way back so they could get to the stairwell for the process to start over again with the Varia forces taking up the next three floors that held cubicles while she and Squalo went ahead.

Within the stairwell, Squalo opened his box weapon and directed the shark through one floor and before Ashlynn could follow suit to let the swans out to join the shark, Squalo shook his head as he maneuvered another four men over the railing. "The swans will give you away. Use them if it's necessary but right now, you'll be fine."

"Aa."

The swordsman opened the eighth floor door then pushed her back against the wall a few steps down as Storm flames and actual fire blazed through the opening and burned a hole right through the wall to the outside. Squalo smirked as his ring blazed a liquidy blue to combat the second wave of storm flames. His stronger resolve broke through the other flame and he sauntered in with his sword waving through the air. "So there are actually some that have resolve! VOOOOOOOII! Prepare yourselves, Trash!"

Ashlynn hurried in after him shooting down the woman rushing at the swordsman's back with a stormed glaive. She grabbed the weapon when it didn't disappear into a box weapon and stabbed the blade into the man stumbling out of the door on her right.

"Watch for the doors, brat!" He yelled.

"Speak for yourself!" She snapped back. "You're the one pressing on ahead!"

"VOOOOOOOOOI! Because there are enemies coming down the other end of the hall!"

Ashlynn bit the inside of her cheek as she slipped off one of the larger chakrams. "Chakram coming your way! Jump!" She yelled for the man and the weapon was released without her usual wiring, passed right under Squalo to slice through the middle of the hallway with her flame licking the edge of the blade, reaching twenty feet into the mass of bodies before it stuck into a man's torso.

The remaining force forged on to meet their end from Squalo's blade and Ashlynn's guns and those that tried to sneak behind them were tore into pieces by the Rain shark hunting through the rooms for more prey.

"Hey~ Commander Squalo, Dearest Miele," Lussuria's voice sounded in her ear from the headphone. "The virtuous Lussuria has completed our objective. Awaiting further orders, Commander."

"Good work, Lussuria. Alright, then start torching the place and send out the order for our grunts to evacuate." Squalo ordered. "Anyone left straggling will be left with the enemy to be burned to a crisp." He nodded a final time and returned the Rain shark back within its box. "Brat, time to go."

Ashlynn nodded, her foot against a dead man and pulled her chakram out of his chest. "That was pretty fast."

"Leaving so soon? I'm afraid I'll keep your company for a while yet."

Ashlynn turned to stop short as a smiling dark green-haired man in the Millefiore's uniform stood in the path leading back to the stairwell. He didn't seem very disturbed that he was standing on the back of one of the dead men in the hallway. She swallowed thickly when her eyes caught small movements between the bodies and the blood on the floor.

Rats. Black rats. The filthy things were scurrying with little puffs of cloud flame coming out of their ears.

'Oh Brighid,' she bit her lip. 'The first time against an enemy box weapon and it had to be rats.'

At her queasy look the man smiled. "Aren't they lovely, Miss? And such good helper's too."

"VOOOOOOOOI! I'll be your opponent, scum!" Squalo stepped forward with the gladiator sword pointed out.

"Well, if you insist. But, it would be ever so rude to ignore the young lady. So worry not; there is enough of the mischief to go around."

Ashlynn jumped as a small purple flame burst from the gathered rat's ears and began to multiply and flood the hallway. Squalo leaped over the horde going straight for the man who pulled out a saber to combat against the swordsman.

"Son of a bitch!" She squealed kicking the first that jumped at her.

"Use your flame, brat!" Squalo demanded crossing blades with his opponent.

"Fuck! And do what exactly!" Ashlynn cried a little more when a number of the rats grouped together and formed a very big rat that snarled at her. A second large rat was created moments after.

"You're not fucking helpless, brat, just because of some rats! Shoot them! Electrocute them!"

"R-right!" She assured herself and prepared to do so but in the end she jumped out of the way to the side, smacking into a door and falling into the room when the beast jumped her way. She scrambled to her feet just and aimed her gun, using the door and wall for cover while the rat had its back turned to her. Ashlynn pointed the gun directly its head and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Click. Click.

"Sh-shit!" She cried fumbling for the other and loaded gun strapped to her thigh beneath the hem of the jacket. She was knocked further into the office room by the second rat tackling her to the ground and she had to use the barrel of the gun to press against the rat's teeth to keep it from biting her. She shifted her body from beneath the beast and kicked it back into the other rat that was coming to its aid. She flipped her bracelets back off her wrists and into their weapon forms and sent both flying to her targets and pinned both rats to the wall, severing both of its necks.

Ashlynn's shoulder's drooped in relief but then cringed when the rats disassembled themselves back to smaller rats then regrouped into the larger ones. She scowled, ripping the Mammon chain of the Vongola ring and grasping her future self's lightning box weapon out of her jacket pocket. Her ring sparked with electricity then was inserted into the opening of the box and out came the two white swans immediately soaring to the two rats. Their wings beat the creatures mercilessly as they pecked wit lightning sharpening their already strong beaks and the rats misted away as the flames sustaining them were destroyed.

"Thanks, Ailbhe, Saorla." She sighed wiping her forehead with the back of her leathered sleeve. It was becoming uncomfortably hot.

The female, Saorla, butted her head against her hand.

"Brat! Hurry up, we've got to leave"

The swans returned to their box and Ashlynn stepped over the rubble back to the hallway. Her eyes glazed over the rat's owner slumped on the floor against a clear space on the wall, his head draped over his chest. She was able to spot blood seeping from what little she could see from his neck. Ashlynn swallowed thickly and hurried to the other end of the hallway, joined the swordsman and they hurried down the stairs. She gasped at the horrid heat spreading from the upper floors and had to pause a few times to wedge herself into a few corners with her arms above her head protecting herself from falling and sometimes burning debris.

"Comandante! Miele!" Lussuria waved to them from the entrance of the building when he saw them through a few bustling crowds of men and women. It was a few large rooms away from their current location so his voice didn't carry but she heard him perfectly through the device in her ear. "Hurry now! Before the structure collapses! "

At that proclamation the Varia's forces rushed whatever it was that they were doing and made way to exit the building. But barely halfway to their exit the building creaked and despite herself Ashlynn made the stupid decision to stop and stare up in alarm. The next moments seemed to pass by in slow motion and yet at the same time sped up. Ahead of her she heard Lussuria call out for her to hurry, Squalo turning around when he realized she had paused and moving to grab her arm, the widening eyes of the Varia forces, and the horrified yells as the ceiling cracked then split, causing the building and its supports to implode upon them. Ashlynn clenched her eyes shut with her arms above her protecting her head and waited to be crushed.

Except it didn't happen.

It wasn't silent though; there was burning furniture falling, glass and windows shattering and a gust from the implosion blew through the destruction. She exhaled, thanking above all Brighid and any other God or Goddess that came to mind. But, at the gasps of awe she chanced a peek then opened her eyes to come face to face with a transparent shield that rippled with green when something collided with it.

"Uno scudo?" A man whispered.

The hooded woman beside him nodded wide eyed. "La signora ha una affinità fulmine! Lei ci ha salvati!"

Ashlynn didn't dare to move so she moved her eyes to Squalo, confessing softly. "I...I don't know how long it will hold. While it's still up, let's get everyone out...like right this second, now."

Squalo whirled around snarling in Italian for the grunts to start moving. "Lo scudo non durerà per sempre, è feccia! Muoviti a meno che non si vuole veramente essere schiacciato!"

It wasn't very long until the bottom and only remaining floor was cleared out save for her and Squalo. Once satisfied that he couldn't see anyone in the surrounding rubble he waved for her to follow. Ashlynn sweated, keeping her arms outstretched to keep the shield in place and moving so very slowly. After each step more and more rubble crumbled when the shield moved out from beneath it. By the time they got within ten feet of the entrance Ashlynn's breath was running haggard with the effort; she might have been able to make the shield smaller to save her the effort but she didn't know how or if doing so would cancel the entire shield. With another seven feet to go Squalo, fed up, grabbed her arm and hauled her outside just as the lightning flames began to flicker.

Ashlynn sat down coughing as dust settled around them again. "Thanks."

"At least you held it long enough to get out yourself." Squalo snorted derisively. Ashlynn didn't take any offense to it. "It took too long though; right now we're the last ones to leave the scene." He growled nodding to the car parked across the street. Lussuria stuck his head out and waved from the driver's seat.

"Oh," Ashlynn winced when Squalo grabbed her arm again and began stalking towards the vehicle with her in tow. She got into the back seat with Fran and sighed.

"A successful but trying mission tonight. Miele, you can go ahead and sleep while we drive, I'll have someone pick or things up from the hotel." Lussuria placed his seatbelt into the buckle

"Eh? But I'm not all that sleepy-"

"Well, it'd be better that way, Hun. We can't have you knowing where everything is. Gives you an unfair advantage when you go back to your correct time. Fran, be a dear and knock her out?"

"What?" Ashlynn raised her hands alarmed but it was too late and she was leaning against the boy out cold.

"Well," Lussuria adjusted the rear view mirror then put the car into drive. "Seeing her here from the past...it reminds me of something the lovely Miss Dolly and Bianchi mentioned once."

Fran slipped both his and Ashlynn's seat belts on. "Hm?"

"Around this age I believe; our little Ashlynn, while not seeming so to the other Guardians, didn't really bond with them on a deep emotional level for a good while. Seeing her now I can see that they were right."

"So?" Fran didn't see the importance.

Lussuria chuckled. "Well it wasn't that she was indifferent to them. If I had to pick a way to describe her interactions with them I'd say that she's an 'amiable observer'. She's civil but also very reserved. Starting out, Miss Bianchi noted that she was like an older and guiding comrade but, it wasn't the deep bond that was to be expected. When I first met her I figured she was just shy or overwhelmed to be in a ballroom full of Mafioso and with meeting personally with the Ninth. And later on when we saw her at the ring battles I assumed she was trying to keep an image of strength to keep the group from panicking. Perhaps both had influence it but, it was a while before she really became close-nit with them. Sigh, had things been different and she was given to us it wouldn't have been a problem at all. Shame."

"Why bring this up now?" Squalo grumbled.

Lussuria shrugged. "Just musing out loud, Squ-taicho, and it's really not as bad as I'm explaining it to be. Hmm, I remember Fran, that the first time around you didn't get along very well with our Ashlynn but this one as she is now, it's like you're snarky little partners in crime. However even with the circumstances aren't favorable; I think being here in the future is being beneficial. With us, she's coming a bit out of that shell she's created." He slowed the car down for a few moments, looking into the mirrors to check for tails before turning down a side street. "I don't think she realizes just how much her flames are influencing her. It must have been an unconscious effort for protection but it's not a good long-term solution."

"A solution to what?" Fran clicked his tongue.

Squalo unstrapped his sword from his fake hand and laid it horizontally across his legs. "If it was fixed in the past then leave it as it is."

"Haaa~? You knew I was thinking of doing it myself? You caught me Squ-taicho!" Lussuria made a mocking pout. "As much as I like her better without her stunting herself I know that it can't be me to be the one to do the deed. Even though Honey likes me I don't think she'll react the way she should that will help her heal correctly. Nope, I'll leave it all to our lovely womenfolk."

* * *

><p>"Nii-san?"<p>

"What's up, little bird?" Ryohei knelt in front of the child. He wasn't all that great with disguises or illusions so the best he could do to change a little of her appearance was to buy her a yellow sundress with grey leggings and give her a Tokyo baseball hat to cover her hair. It was Extremely working so far but there was always a big chance that any enemy would recognize him, put their appearances together, and come up with the conclusion that the ten year bazooka was in effect.

Birdy shifted. "Where are we going?"

"First we have to Extremely rescue one of our friends! Intel says she's been holed up in Kokuyo land." He paused at the slight flinch she gave at the name. "It's okay, Suzume. You don't have to actually go in there if you don't want to. I can leave my box weapon to stay with you while I fetch her, would like that instead?"

She nodded; she really didn't want to go to Kokuyo even if it was in the future. And she really did like Nii-san's box weapon animal.

"Alright then. After we get our friend we'll go meet with the group hiding out in Namimori. Don't worry your pretty little head, Imouto-chan. Nii-san promised remember? I won't let anyone hurt you."

* * *

><p>"Miele, wake up. We're here."<p>

Ashlynn rubbed at her eyes and sat up a little startled to see that it was dark, the dark one sees before the sun rises. The problem wasn't that it was morning, the problem was that she had no idea how long she had been out cold. And why she was seeing dark purple hair that was from her patted her cheek lightly and whispered in her ear. "You are in a disguise, baby, remember? Squalo brought you to the hotel and we fixed you then we went on the operation in Milan?"

"We're not in Milan anymore?" Ashlynn asked groggily, letting go of her alarm.

Lussuria pulled back shaking his head. "Nope. Your things have already been brought to a room. Here is your ring dear, just don't put in on your finger just yet. Do you need a chain to hang it on?"

Ashlynn accepted the ring but shook her head, merely placing the Mammon-chained Claddaugh into her pants pocket of her Varia uniform. "How long are we staying? And how did I fall asleep? How long has it been?"

"We're staying here only temporarily; two days tops would be my estimate but we have a really big hit scheduled soon. Sorry that we keep moving you dear and that we've had to blindfold and knock you out. The operation was just last night."

"Okay...where'd the hell did everyone else go?"

"They're reporting. Oh! One of your subordinates finished his mark and is here with someone you know. Remember Vittore?" Lussuria grinned offering his arm.

"Yeah," she replied, slipping her arm through the crook of his. "I met him not a day ago. Who did he bring?"

"Well, I can't really say anything, dear, too many ears and no one but who really need to know actually know. You'll know her the moment you see her." He whispered as they walked up the steps of a large cream colored mansion. "She was brought in because she switched with her past self. Vittore recognized her getting lost in the streets about to have a panic attack and he convinced her that she wasn't an enemy. Right now she's in your room, waiting for us to disguise her."

'Who else could have been out of Japan that has switched?' Ashlynn worried her lip. 'There should NOT be anyone else. I don't even think I was supposed to be overseas. It's a girl…'

"VOI! Lussuria!" Squalo called from the top of a very rand set of stairs. "Drop off the brat and then come to the office!"

Lussuria clicked his tongue but did not loosen his arm. "Oh, I suppose. Come on Miele, we'll see to our guest while Squ-taicho makes his report. I'll come back with Fran, alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

While Squalo turned down one hallway of the second floor, she and Lussuria walked down the opposite one to a room on the very end.

The man released her arm and raised his own to knock gently on the door. "Knock knock~. We're coming in, dearie! Miele, you may show off your jewelry to prove your identity." He called in Japanese. Once she was in he stepped back out. "Lock the door behind me dear, and try not to make too much of a racket. Who knows who might get interested if there are is any shouting. I'll be back before you know it with Fran and food."

Ashlynn nodded, not yet seeing the person sitting wide eyed on the bed. She shut and locked the door before turning around to face the small female and felt herself stop in shock and her brain momentarily shut down.

"…Miura-san?"

The girl sniffled fearfully positioning herself closer to the headboard, her knees pulled up to her chest. "Ha-Haru doesn't know you."

"Because I'm disguised." Ashlynn murmured gently and she slowly made her way to the vanity table, walking across wooden floors and a white rug, making sure the girl could see her hands at all times. The earrings were taken out first, followed by the black contacts that she placed on a piece of tissue. Seeing her reflection return to its rightful shapes she pulled at the pins connecting the wig to her hair and slipped the piece off her head. Haru gasped disbelievingly when the honey hair came into view in the light.

"I-it's you…right?" She asked.

Ashlynn nodded stepping towards the bed. Haru's eyes watered and the very moment Ashlynn sat down she flung herself at her, dug her face into fur that was part of Ashlynn's hood and sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

"Miura-san…" Ashlynn held the girl gently while she cried. 'Why is she here? She's, she's not supposed to be here. She should be in Japan right now with Kyoko under the group's protection not under the Varia's in Italy! What…what on Earth happened? Is this, is this because of me?'

"I-I'm sorry!" The girl continued to apologize and Ashlynn really wasn't what it was for.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I've got you. I'm sure this has been a very bumpy ride for you but it's okay now. It's okay." She soothed, threading her fingers through the girl's hair but the gesture did little to quell the tears and she buried herself deeper into Ashlynn's neck. Not knowing what else to do besides try to comfort she switched the hand that was petting Haru's hair to rub the girl's back instead. After a few moments of that with Haru still not readily being consolable, Ashlynn started to sing to fill the silence of the room.

"Coo roo koo, cooruku, coo ru ku, coo ku

Oh hush thee my dove, oh hush thee my sweet love

Oh hush thee my lap wing, my dear little bird.

Oh, fold your wings and seek your nest now

The berries shine on the old rowan tree

The bird is home from the hills and valleys

Coo roo koo, cooruku, coo ru ku, coo ku…"

Slowly the crying and sniffles abided and Ashlynn found no problem with the girl still curled into her. She continued to soothe…

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIII!"

The two jumped at the sudden yell and Ashlynn nearly had half a mind to stick her head out the door to 'VOI' right the hell back and see how he liked it. But with her wig gone and Haru tensing in her arms she favored the girl her attention instead. "Brighid, that man has a mouth on him. It's okay, Haru, it's just Squalo…"

"Hahi? S-Squalo?"

"That's right. He's the one with the really long white hair with the sword attached to his hand."

"Oh…Haru has….I have questions." Haru started off in her normal third person speech but switched to address herself in first person.

"And I will try to answer as much as I am able to." Ashlynn promised rubbing away the tear trails on Haru's face.

"And big sister is back with Fran if you'll let us in~?" Lussuria called from outside the room.

"Kay!" Ashlynn untangled herself from Haru and unlocked the door and let them inside before reclosing it. "What's Squalo yelling about?"

"Bel's off bothering him again."

"Which gives a while to get this little dear a disguise and a cover story before the Boss gets here and we meet for breakfast." Lussuria pushed the door of the closet open and disappeared inside.

"You guys eat together?" Ashlynn asked sitting back down on the bed next to her Haru. She had thought that the Varia eating together was a fanfiction thing.

"Of course we do~!" Lussuria called. "We're Family, why wouldn't we?"

Ashlynn shrugged. "I can't help but imagine food fights...with the cuisine not being the only weaponry..."

"That's only happened a few times." Fran scuffed his foot on the rug.

"I can imagine it being even more dangerous if Bianchi was ever involved." Ashlynn tugged a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Lussuria hummed coming out with a few hangers of clothes and three boxes. "There was an incident once when the Varia and the main Family came together once for dinner." He placed the items at the foot of the bed and beckoned for Haru to get a good look. "Now, most of these belong to our Future Ashlynn but the other girls often leave things when they come over. Since you're not an active fighter, Haru dear, I won't be giving you our Varia uniform so a pretty suit will do."

"Wh-what are the boxes for?" Haru asked.

"Wigs." Fran said scuffing the rug again.

"Think of this as one of your cosplays." Ashlynn explained. Haru nodded, perking up a little. Ashlynn gave the boxes in a question a stare. "Is there one that will match mine?"

The man paused then smiled. "Yes, in fact, we do." He returned to the closet and after a few sounds of digging he came back out and showed them a wig with the same color as Ashlynn's but was styles into two low ponytails that would brush one's collarbones. "Haru dear, before we disguise you up I need to fix Miele's braid. Come sit at the vanity will you?"

Ashlynn headed to the seat without complaint though there was a little tugging at her chest that she tried her best to ignore.

Haru frowned in confusion. "Miele?"

"Nee-san's alias." Fran sat heavily on the bed making the girl squeak a little at the bounce. "It's the Italian word for 'honey'. The nickname came from her hair color."

Lussruria stared through the vanity's mirror but it wasn't noticed because of his sun glasses. "By going with Ashlynn's we should do the same for your alias dear. I would say your hair is a very dark almond color. The Italian word for 'almond' is mandorla.

"Mandorla?" Haru tested.

"She could be my sister." Ashlynn offered as Lussuria untied the mussed up crown and her hair started easing out of its confines in waves and frizz. "From America; this would be easier to explain because neither of us can speak Italian."

Haru shook her head in protest. "I know only a little English...I...I can pretend to be mute...?"

"No, it'll be fine. Because I once heard that some people when waking from a coma, or some sort of head injury, they couldn't remember their mother tongue but for some reason were greatly fluent in another language like that was their first language." Ashlynn reasoned. At a little tug at the back of her head she winced.

"Sorry Hun," Lussuria apologized. "The story works out. You could also claim that the 'accident' that put your 'sister' in a coma also took the lives of your immediate family so Miele was recruited by me...hunh, you two will need a last name now...Miele and Mandorla...Nardovino. Nardovino derived from 'Hardwin', which is Germanic of 'strong' and 'friend'."

"Miele Nardovino. Mandorla Nardovino. I think it will work." Ashlynn tried out the names and with only a little stumble on the surname she did like how it sounded. "What do you think, Mandorla?"

Haru blinked not understanding at first that Ashlynn was referring to her but then quickly nodded her head.

"If anyone other than the main members wants to meet you, I'll introduce you as the third party. As it is, only the main members know of your real identities." Lussuria offered.

"E-eto...what's going on that we need disguises! A-and what is this place?" Haru spoke up.

Lussuria paused, directing his question at Ashlynn. "How much does she already know?"

Ashlynn sighed. "Honestly, I don't think she knows anything, she met Tsuna before she met me so I don't know if anyone bothered to inform her...Mandorla-."

Haru shook her head adamantly "Right now, Haru is Haru!"

"...Of course." Ashlynn conceded patiently. "Haru, what happened when you first met Tsuna?"

The girl pulled her knees to her chest. "Haru...Haru would see Tsuna-san and Reborn-kun go across my street every morning...Haru...I thought Reborn-kun was adorable so I wanted to be friends with him. He agreed. But then he told me that he was a world class hitman and that he was training Tsuna-san to be a mafia Boss. I...I thought that was all a game that Tsuna-san was playing to take advantage of a cute toddler. I met you the day after at the bridge and I thought you to be one of his subordinates. I lost and I told Tsuna-san that I would marry him when we got older...Tsuna-san...Tsuna-san really is going to be a mafia Boss, isn't he? And Reborn-kun, Reborn-kun really is a hitman despite being just a baby?"

"That's right, Haru dear." Lussuria confirmed finishing Ashlynn's hair into a tight crown again. "Miele, put the wig and the contacts back on before the earrings. I'll give you another pair so you can charge for her. If you need eye drops there in the drawer on your left."

"Thanks." Ashlynn gratefully took out the drops and held the bottle above her eyes and applied the solution before putting the colored contacts in. The earrings were stuck into the holes in her ears and in the mirror she saw herself change into 'Miele'. She turned around in her seat to stare the girl in the eyes. "I won't hide this from you, Miura-san. Right now we are in a very dangerous situation and you have the right to know. Has Vittore told you anything?"

Haru shook her head.

Fran grunted rolling over on his back. "You are ten years into the future because of a bazooka. And right now the Vongola is a war and we are being hunted down."

"Vongola? H-hunted?" the dark brunette gasped. "But I'm not-"

"Vongola is the name of the Family that your Tsunayoshi will grow into leading. You are targeted because of your relationship with a good many of the members." Lussuria added.

Ashlynn nodded. "Tsuna is the Boss-to be. Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Hibari-san, Mukuro and Chrome, and myself are his Guardians."

"That means that Kyoko-chan is involved too!" she cried. "Does, does she know? And what about Bianchi-san?"

"In the mafia world, Bianchi is known as the Poison Scorpion. As for Kyoko, I really have no idea. Before our switching into the future I knew that she didn't know about the involvement in the mafia. But since I've come here I've only had contact with the Varia. That is the name of the Assassination squad. Lussuria and Fran here are core members."

"Hahi? Ano...could you say your names again?" Haru asked.

At Lussuria's wave Ashlynn introduced them. "Miura Haru, this is Lussuria; the Sun Guardian of the Varia. And Fran, the Mist Guardian. Lussuria, Fran, this is Miura Haru."

Haru nodded. "Then, Lussuria-san, why is the...Vongola...at war?"

"Because the Millefiore Family wants us dead, dear. We've tied to start negotiations up again but they aren't very responsive in the way that we'd like." Lussuria explained. "I now you have more questions dear, but we really need to get you ready before breakfast time and the Boss arrives. And you can call me Nee-san, darling."

"The Boss...you mean the future Tsuna-san?"

"No, no. Sorry dear, but it's the Varia's Boss. His name is Xanxus."

Haru deflated. "Oh."

"Miele can you trade places with her? I need her in front of the mirror for a few moments and we'll match the skin colors. Fran, time for some more magic~. Just like with Miele, if you would. Shape her eyes and her eyebrows just a little. The eye color is fine so we don't need you to wear contacts. Good...and good. Now we stand you up..." Lussuria lead the girl to the vanity chair and then a few steps back to 'Miele'. "The height's fine but narrow the shoulder's to look like Miele's, same with the hands. Perfect! Now, back on the chair and I'll braid your hair so it's easier to pin the wig down. Miele can you start charging these earrings? Thank you~!"

Ashlynn accepted the studs and began channeling her flame into the pieces.

"Like I explained to Miele before, this is an illusion that Fran is weaving upon you appearance to smooth away any chinks with the disguise. The earring that your sister is charging with her lightning flame will make sure that the illusion becomes solid and stays stable." Lussuria explained tying the last bit of hair into place and securing the wig to the girl's hair. The dark gray purple was styled with straight bangs and there were two little tufts of hair that were pulled into two low ponytails that stopped at the girl's shoulders. "Alright, last step: The clothes. Would you rather wear pants or a skirt?"

"U-umm, pants? Please?"

"Then into the bathroom you go. We'll wait for you right here and then we'll go down for breakfast, Mandorla."

"Right! Th-thank you Lussuria-nee, Fran-san, Su-" Haru shook her head. "Thank you Nee-san."

* * *

><p>Giannini clacked a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him, smiled and then looked up to the group gathered in the conference room which consisted of Reborn, Lal Mirch, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto. The younger Kyoko was doing chores with the help of the future Bianchi while the older Fuuta entertained the children.<p>

"Like I thought the line matches the Vongola along with the secondary codes. So it points to the Varia group instead of any of the other assassination groups. I will play the message now."

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOII! Are your heads still attached to your necks! You fucking lousy brats!

"I-t's him!" Gokudera blanched as the large screen showed a close up of the future Squalo's face.

"the Ten-years later-" Tsuna gaped nearly falling out of his seat in the conference room.

Yamamoto waved happily to the screen even though it was a recording. "Squalo!"

"Lower the volume! I can't stand listening to this!" Lal growled.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Giannini affirmed the command but then muttered to himself in disbelief. "It's...it's already on its lowest possible setting..."

"Listen up closely, you brats! Just stay put right where you are! Don't leave the little dirt hole you're hiding in; even if you pick up a signal of a ring on the outside!" Squalo continued on.

Reborn's interest piqued. "He's referring to the one in Kokuyo Land."

Giannini looked back at the computer screen when it showed one of the entrances being correctly unlocked and gave an interested hum.

"Shishishishi."

"Hunh?"

The future Belphegor peeked over the couch Squalo was sitting on. "If you stay like good little kids, a very simple instruction will make its way to you."

"The knife bastard!" Gokudera glared.

"VOOOII! What the hell are you doing here?"

"The Prince got bored because Lussuria took away the Princess you guys brought from Milan and the weepy commoner Vittore brought in from Roma. So now I'm here to bother you until Lussuria's done."

Squalo glared threatening over his shoulder. "If you butt your nose in again, I'll fucking kill you!"

"I dare you."

"VOOOOOOOI!" Squalo yelled jumping over the couch and tackling Bel to the ground on the other side and two began to scuffle. Then suddenly he was in front of the screen. "I hope we meet in this time, you brats! Make sure you keep yourselves alive until then!"

Tsuna sweat dropped as the screen shut off immediately after Squalo's farewell. "As always they're a rowdy bunch...what do you suppose that 'simple instruction' is?

"It must be them then, the two just coming back from overseas." Giannini nodded to the door as it slid open.

"Sasagawa Ryohei has arrived!" a tall man with short and spiky white hair announced in the doorway with a familiar pineapple-hair styled female with a white owl in her grasp within in his arms and an equally familiar child at his side gripping onto his pant leg.

"O-onii-san!" Tsuna cried jumping out of his seat. "Chrome and Birdy!"

* * *

><p>"Here we are~." Lussuria opened the double doors to the dining hall and sauntered to the furthest side of the table near the head where someone was sitting at the head. From behind the Guardian she spied the ten years later Xanxus with Squalo sitting on his right and the future Levi taking a spot on his left. Vittore was sitting at the Lightning Guardian's left.<p>

"Good morning Lussuria." A saccharine voice called in English just before the man and he stopped to greet the person.

Ashlynn froze, thankfully being physically blocked on all sides. Lussuria in front, Haru on her left and Fran on her right. 'That-! That voice! It's the woman from the safe house!'

Haru glanced up at her questioningly and Ashlynn remembered herself and shook her head as not to worry the girl.

"Luciana, darling, I have these dears I want you to meet." Lussuria smiled benignly moving so that Ashlynn, Haru, and Fran could see the woman. Hitting about five feet and three inches was a platinum blonde in a very risqué white short sleeved button up with the top few buttons free so that the tops of her breasts and her nude colored bra was showing. The woman was also pushing it with how short her yellow skirt was; it barely breached past mid-thigh. The woman's light purple eyes twinkled with haughtiness and Ashlynn had the distinct feeling of being sized up like this woman needed her measurements for a coffin.

If Lussuria noticed her hands tensing or Haru's uncomfortable look when he started speaking in English as well, he ignored it. "Luciana, the one in the frog hat is Fran. He's our illusionist and a rookie Varia captain. The lovely lady next to him with our uniform is Miele Nardovino, and the sweet thing on her arm is her younger sister Mandorla. They're from one of our bases in America so Miele understands you. Darling Mandorla just recovered from a head injury but for some reason has lost her ability for her mother tongue. However she seems to have a sudden intimate understanding of the Japanese language. Fun how those things work Huh? Fran, Miele, Mandorla, this is Luciana Veneri. Her father, Remigio, and her grandfather Arsenio are important associates of the Vongola."

"A pleasure." Luciana smiled. "You all have such lovely coloring. And America you say? Which state?"

Ashlynn managed to twitch the corners of her mouth into a sweet smile as she answered in English. "California, Miss Veneri, just off Sacramento."

Luciana flipped her hair over her shoulder primly. "Ah, California. I especially like the beach over in San Diego but not as much as the ones here in Italy. We'll talk more on it sometime, won't we?"

'That's doesn't sound like a request.' Ashlynn nodded agreeably. "If you'd like."

"Will you be joining us for the meal, my sweet?" Lussuria asked.

"I will be." Luciana switched her attention and ignored the three. "But I will be further along the table then you core members. I'm afraid I'm not very important yet."

"Then we shall talk later~." The man giggled and led the way towards the end. Lussuria nodded for Ashlynn to take the seat next to Squalo and Haru sat next to her and then Fran next to Haru while Lussuria made his way to the other side to take the between Vittore and Belphegor who was spinning a knife on the pad of his pinkie. Ashlynn took a moment to lean over to Haru and explain what had just happened. Haru nodded slipping her hand into hers and Ashlynn gave the limb a reassuring squeeze.

"Ushishishishi." Bel laughed resting his elbows on the white tablecloth around the plate that was just set in front of him.

Ashlynn allowed her eyes to rise from her own plate to greet the Storm Guardian in Japanese for Haru's benefit and felt, more than saw the girl's attention perk at the title as she pulled her hand away. "Hello Prince." Ashlynn looked around the edge of the table. Squalo was scowling as he dug into his plate, Levi was doing his best to ignore her in favor of watching his Boss, Xanxus was biting into a slab of meat, and Vittore was grinning like a fool as his lifted a croissant to his mouth.

"Trash." Came Xanxus' voice.

"Xanxus." Ashlynn replied, sticking her fork into the golden potatoes on her plate and eating it slowly. 'This...is part awkward... and part surreal.' The man didn't say anything else and she wasn't going to start any sort of conversation so she continued on eating until her plate was cleared and slowly the dining area began to filter out. The moment Xanxus' plate was cleared he stood up and stalked out of the room and Ashlynn watched as Luciana stood as if her seat burned her and followed after, stopping once to hike her already short skirt a little higher, on her way out.

Bel grinned savagely. "There goes the little harlot again~. Ushishishi."

"H-harlot?" Haru look scandalized almost tipping over her glass of juice. 'That man didn't look very inviting-desu. How scary!'

"She certainly fits the bill." Ashlynn agreed nonchalantly. "Her boobs were nearly pooping out of her shirt and that skirt of hers is short enough to count as lingerie. She's not in your guy's uniform, so what's her job here?"

Levi scowled. "Nothing. It is her father and Grandfather that we have business with. She only hangs around to earn the Boss' favor."

"So she's here because she's got googly eyes for Xanxus?...she and Xanxus...granted I'm not...from here... but I'm not seeing it. Then again my first impression of her was a little fearful because I didn't want to be caught beneath a kitchen sink but being introduced to her wasn't much better. Skank." Ashlynn twisted in her chair so she could crack her back.

Squalo caught the hint and smirked.

Lussuria tittered. "No one can see that couple happening besides the woman in question. The Boss is very attractive and draws in the female gaze but..."

"His settings are stuck on angry." She grinned.

Levi growled at the supposed jab. Squalo kicked his chair beneath the table, breaking the wood, and sending the man wobbling to the ground. He ignored his grumblings and yelled out to those that were still in the dining room, being the grunts and the buildings staff. "VOOOOOOOOII! All of you trash get out!"

In fear, despite some plates not being finished and the dining staff not retrieving said plates, the personnel fled so as to gain the core member's ire.

"Our present ...Boss is dead." Squalo started before anyone could move. Haru tensed and Ashlynn took her hand beneath the table in her own. Levi scowled mumbling under his breath, but purposely loud enough for everyone to hear him say that Xanxus was the rightful Boss. Squalo paid them no heed and continued. "But it turns out that the brat from the past switched with him, along with the sword brat and bomber brat. The past Reborn is there as well. Today the present Sasagawa should meet with them and give them their next instructions."

Haru moved to open her mouth but Ashlynn squeezed her hand firmly and shook her head.

"Brat." Squalo glanced over.

Ashlynn nodded.

"We leave tomorrow morning to get in position for another raid. You will stick with Vittore and the rookie, got it?"

"Got it. What about...Mandorla?"

Lussuria clasped his hands together. "She'll be under my protection my sweet. No need to worry so much."

"And another thing. The only people who know we have you are those present here and Birdy who is off in another country by now." Squalo told her. "So far the enemy believes that you and the kid here have been spirited off to another safe house. We're going to let them think that. Concerning San Donato Ninea, the enemy is under the impression that we moved you out of there and left a plant. That safe house is now in ruins in their attempt to smoke anyone out."

"...So what do we do now?" Ashlynn asked.

"Training~." Lussuria sang.

* * *

><p>Birdy was upset.<p>

While she was glad to have found the people who had gone missing...the person she was most worried about was nowhere in sight. Because Nii-san didn't know where Nee-chan was or who knew where she was, Birdy had to ask herself. And she had come across the ten years older Fuuta-kun and Bianchi-Nee.

"Where is Nee-chan? Is she here?" Birdy asked slipping her hand into Bianchi's hand as the woman led her to the room she was going to share with Kyoko-nee, I-pin-chan, and Lambo-kun.

Bigger Fuuta-kun shook his head lightly. "The older Ashlynn-nee had to go into hiding."

"Nii-san told me that already." Birdy's frown deepened.

Bianchi patted her head. "Our Ashlynn is going to be a mommy soon. So to protect her and her baby from the bad people, she's in a secret house, and only a few people know the location."

"...I meant my Nee-chan."

"Yours? Well sweetie, I don't know. If she switched with her future self then the people that knows where she is will tell us. But right now we don't know who knows so we'll have to wait until they contact us, okay? That way if she really didn't switch then she'll be safe because no one is announcing that she did."

"So she'll be safe from the bad people?"

"That's right."

* * *

><p><strong>Omake Scene:<strong>

"Here she is, Taicho." Lussuria nudged her forward as they got in position to overtake the base in Milan.

Squalo nodded. "Name?"

"Miele."

"…"

"…"

"I'm not fucking calling you that." He said finally.

Ashlynn raised a purple eyebrow. "And why the hell not?"

"You realize that it sounds like a stripper name?"

"...Fuck you, Squalo."

* * *

><p>-I was very unsure of how the first interactions with Future Xanxus turned out...I'm going to have to put together a few more to make a later scene seem more natural...<p>

_**The Glossary:**_

**Labret piercing:** If you're confused, think of Konan's piercing from Naruto or Google a real picture…but basically it's a piercing, that is a ball, and in this case it is placed in that little dip beneath the bottom lip.

**Amiable:** '1) Having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; affable: an amiable disposition. 2) Friendly; sociable 3) agreeable; willing to accept the wishes, decisions, or suggestions of another or others

**Mischief:** This is one way to say a group of rats.

_**Italian:**_

**'Comandante':** meaning 'commander'….or 'leader'.

**'Miele'**: meaning 'honey', it is pronounced 'Me-elle-ay'

**Mandorla:** meaning 'almond'.

**'Uno scudo?:** - a shield?

**La signora ha una affinità fulmine! Lei ci ha salvati!**: The lady has a lightning affinity! She saved us!

**Lo scudo non durerà per sempre, è feccia! Muoviti a meno che non si vuole veramente essere schiacciato!:** The shield won't last forever, you scum! Get moving unless you really want to be crushed!

_**Japanese:**_

**'Taicho':** 'Captain' or 'Leader' (as in squad leader)

_**Irish:**_

**'Caomhnoir':** meaning 'Guardian'. For a long while I thought this was pronounced as 'Cow-mh-noir', it is actually pronounced as 'Kwee-noir'

**'Meagher':** meaning 'majestic fire' in Irish. I've found a few ways to say this and one that I previously chose, (May-her). But I have decided that Mar (as in Mars but without the s) is phonetically better, especially with Japanese pronunciation. So to clarify, Ashlynn's last name is pronounced 'Mar'.

**'Seanathair'**: I'm sure I've frustrated a few with not saying how this is pronounced. 'Shawn-ah-hur' is the correct way to say it.

**'Saorla'**: Means 'Noble Queen'. It is pronounced 'SAYR-La'

**'Ailbhe':** Means 'White King' or 'World King'. It is pronounced as 'Al-Vyeh'

**Important!** It's not for a while yet, but I will accept location ideas for the Choice Battle. Don't get me wrong, the canon location within skyscrapers is cool and all but, well, we're already deviating from canon with Ashlynn and Haru being in Italy so; what's another change to throw her off? Bonus points if it's a real place, even more so if it's from our world (Something Ashlynn would recognize)

Also: Shoichi and Daisy will still be the one being the 'target' in choice, and Tsuna and Torikabuto will still be chosen to fight. But should I switch up the other choice members?


End file.
